HEALTH

Oxygen Service

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of the Home Oxygen Service.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 7 March 2006.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the use of private finance initiative projects in the NHS.

Jane Kennedy: PFI has enabled the NHS to build 79 new hospital schemes since 1997. We remain committed to the continued use of PFI. In order to ensure that future schemes continue to be locally affordable and are consistent with the principles outlined in the recent White Paper, 'Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services', we have asked all trusts with planned schemes to reconfirm their proposals.

Patient Violence

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to protect NHS staff from patient violence.

Rosie Winterton: The NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) has developed a range of both proactive and reactive initiatives to tackle violence and aggression against staff.
	A network of local specialists has been put in place, with the professional skills to tackle this problem, supported nationally by the NHS SMS. A national syllabus for conflict resolution training has been developed to ensure NHS front-line staff are given the skills required to confidently and lawfully de-escalate and manage potentially violent situations.
	A new national reporting system for physical assaults has been introduced and the first ever accurate figures for the number of assaults on NHS staff. The NHS SMS is also ensuring that effective sanctions are applied to those who attack NHS staff by providing highly effective legal advice, guidance and support to NHS bodies. Figures released in August 2005 show a 15-fold increase in the number of prosecutions against those who physically assault NHS staff.

Accident and Emergency Services

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average patient wait in accident and emergency departments was in (a) the latest period for which figures are available and (b) 2003; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Data are not collected on average waiting times. Information is collected on the number and percentage of patients who were seen, diagnosed and treated within four hours of arrival at accident and emergency departments. Latest published figures show that performance was 98.2 per cent. for October to December 2005, compared with 90.8 per cent. for this period in 2003.

Herceptin

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts do not offer Herceptin for the treatment of late stage HER2 breast cancers.

Rosie Winterton: In 2004, the National Cancer Director published a report which confirmed considerable variations in the usage of cancer drugs approved by NICE, including Herceptin.
	Action plans have been developed to respond to these findings, and an update will be published this year to establish if variations have now been reduced.

Agenda for Change

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of Agenda for Change has been since 2004, including additional salary costs, the cost of administering the programme and the cost of the appeal system (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the annual NHS salary budget for financial year 2004–05; and whether she has made an estimate of the total final cost of implementing Agenda for Change on the same basis.

Liam Byrne: Agenda for change is estimated to have cost between £520 million and £610 million in 2004–05, that is 2.3 per cent. to 2.6 per cent. of the estimated pay bill in 2004–05 for staff covered by agenda for change. The figures include funding for the early implementer sites in that year. The range reflects uncertainty over the indirect costs of employing additional staff to cover changes to leave and hours.
	The planned investment in agenda for change is due to rise to £1,780 million by 2007–08. This figure does not take account of benefits, including the benefits arising from simplification of administration compared to the more complex pay arrangements previously in place.

Anabolic Steroids

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to tackle misuse of anabolic steroids.

Caroline Flint: The Department recognises the harms associated with the misuse of anabolic steroids.
	FRANK, the major cross Government initiative to provide advice to young people in relation to drug misuse includes information on the harms associated with the misuse of anabolic steroids.
	The harmful short and long-term effects of anabolic steroid use are also described in the most recent version of the Department's publication, Dangerousness of drugs (2003).
	In addition, to restrict access to them, anabolic steroids are only available via prescription.
	Needles and syringe exchange services are also available to provide harm reduction paraphernalia for those who are not yet ready to stop using and who are otherwise at risk of blood borne virus infection (HIV, hepatitis B and C) if they share injecting equipment.

Car Parking Charges

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had regarding guidance issued to (a) NHS trusts and (b) other NHS organisations on charging for car parking space for patients requiring (i) extended periods of stay in and (ii) repeated visits to hospitals.

Liam Byrne: Guidance advising on a range of factors to be considered when implementing car-parking charges was last issued to the national health service in 1996. It remains current. It is a matter for individual NHS bodies to decide whether or not to charge for car parking, and the level of charges, considering local circumstances.

Care Definitions

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition she uses of (a) emergency and (b) routine care; and how each is applied to the treatment received by unregistered NHS patients.

Rosie Winterton: A primary care trust (PCT) may make arrangements with any dentist whose name is included in its dental list for the provision of treatment in urgent cases. The National Health Service (General Dental Services) Regulations 1992 define an urgent case as any circumstance in which, in the opinion of the dentist, a patient needs immediate treatment for an acute condition.
	PCTs have a duty under section 16CA(1) of the National Health Service Act 1977 to provide dental services to the extent considered necessary to meet all reasonable requirements in their area, including arrangements for both urgent and routine care.

Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the Carers Equal Opportunities Act 2004 on the number of unpaid carers returning to (a) work and (b) training; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: No assessment has been made centrally. The Department has issued guidance which makes it clear that, under the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004, a carer's assessment must include a consideration of whether the carer works or wishes to work, or is undertaking or wishes to undertake any educational training. It is for local authorities to ensure that they include these considerations in their assessment.

Children Leaving Care

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of children leaving care in Wakefield district and Normanton constituency in 2005 were registered at the point they left care with (a) a doctor, (b) a dentist and (c) an optician in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Correspondence

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to correspond electronically with (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public.

Liam Byrne: We have no current plans to correspond electronically with hon. Members. We have an email service for members of the public which is accessible through the Department's website at dhemail@dh.gsi. gov.uk.

Dementia

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has allocated for drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia in each year from 1997 to 2005 in (a) Leicester and (b) England.

Liam Byrne: This information requested is not held centrally.

Dentistry

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy that all dentists trained in the UK should have to participate in the provision of NHS dental services for a minimum period of time.

Rosie Winterton: Before they may practise independently in the national health service, newly qualified dental graduates are required to undertake one year's vocational training in a dental practice under the supervision of a suitably experienced general dental practitioner. It is the Department's policy that these vocational trainers should have a significant commitment to the NHS.
	NHS dentists already enjoy a wide range of benefits including membership of the NHS superannuation scheme and support given to their continuing professional development. The Department will continue to identify and promote good practice by primary care trusts in encouraging continued commitment to the NHS.

Dentistry

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists, excluding orthodontists, have been available for dental students to work for during their compulsory work experience year in (a) Leicester, (b) Surrey and (c) England in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Newly qualified dental graduates are required to undertake one year's vocational training before they may practise independently in the National Health Service. These vocational dental practitioners (VDPs), none of whom would have started specialist training in orthodontics at this stage, undergo the training in approved vocational training dental practices distributed across the country.
	In 2005, there were 14 training places in the Leicester area, 24 in Surrey and 624 in England as a whole. In 2005, 598 VDPs were appointed to these vocational training practices including 14 in the Leicester area. Information for earlier years is not held centrally. Given that the number of VDPs is largely determined by the number of dental undergraduates and there had been no significant increase in admissions to dental schools until we funded a major expansion from autumn 2005, it may, however, be assumed that these figures have remained fairly constant since 1997.

Dentistry

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vocational dental trainees have taken up places in the general dental service in 2005.

Rosie Winterton: In 2005, 598 dentists, most of whom were newly qualified graduates, were placed as vocational dental practitioners (VDPs) in dental practices within the vocational training scheme. It is our policy that practices which take VDPs should be making a significant commitment to the national health service. We do not hold information centrally on where VDPs go on to work, but in general, recently qualified dentists tend to work predominantly with NHS patients before they have the option of undertaking much private practice.

Dentistry

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting time target is for NHS out-patients requiring dental work that can only be carried out in hospital.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 2 March 2006
	From January 2006, no patient should expect to wait longer than 13 weeks for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant, following referral by a general medical practitioner or general dental practitioner. This applies equally to dental services and other hospital services.

Departmental Information Leaflets

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of printing and distributing information leaflets produced by her Department was in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Between 1 October 2004 and 31 September 2005, the Department produced 697 publications. The cost of producing these including design, typesetting and print services totalled 6,781,780.
	For all other printed publications produced prior to 1 October 2004, the Department has no central record of this information and could not obtain these without incurring disproportionate cost.

Digital Hearing Aids

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for people to receive digital hearing aids in England was in 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from modernised hearing aid services.

Digital Hearing Aids

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the target waiting time is for existing NHS hearing aid users to be upgraded to digital hearing aids.

Liam Byrne: It is for primary care trusts to plan and commission appropriate services for their local population including those who require digital hearing aids.
	There is no specific target for replacing analogue hearing aids. This should be done as part of the routine maintenance programme for individuals based on their clinical need.

Dr R Hensman

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to resolve the complaint made to her Department from the hon. Member for Bolton South East and the right hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Frank Dobson) regarding the way in which D R R Hensman and his patients were treated by the NHS.

Jane Kennedy: This is a confidential matter and I will write to the hon. Member about it.

Dysfluency

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the provision of NHS services for children who stammer; and what plans she has to provide further services to deal with dysfluency.

Liam Byrne: No assessment has been carried out centrally. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities, local authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of services for children with dysfluency.
	Speech and language therapists treat children with dysfluency. We have increased the number of speech and language therapists employed in the national health service by 34.6 per cent. since 1997, and the numbers of people in training for this profession by 62 per cent. since 19992000.

Dysfluency

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to health visitors concerning the detection and treatment of dysfluency in young children.

Liam Byrne: No guidance is given centrally. Health visitors are free to make decisions about the services and care they provide. This will be matched with accountability for individual professional judgment and the use of best available evidence in detecting dysfluency in young children. They will then refer the child to an appropriate healthcare professional, such as a speech and language therapist, for treatment.

External Contractors (Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire)

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what external contractors were used by (a) Bedfordshire Heartlands NHS primary care trust, (b) Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire NHS strategic health authority and (c) Bedford Hospital NHS Trust in the last period for which figures are available; what the costs of using these contractors were in that year; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The details of the expenditure at Bedford Hospitals Trust on contractors is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Expenditure () 
		
		
			 200102 197,000 
			 200203 244,000 
			 200304 202,000 
			 200405 284,000 
			 200506 241,000 
		
	
	Bedfordshire Heartlands primary care trust costs for KPMG in 200506 and Audit Commission were funded by the Department.
	The names of the external contractors are commercially confidential.

Health Care

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to raise awareness of elder abuse.

Liam Byrne: To minimise abuse and neglect of older people, the Department has been active in promoting better and more consistent standards of care through the publication and implementation of the national service framework for older people and the introduction of national minimum standards (NMS) for a range of services provided to older people in their own homes or in care settings. Employers in regulated social care services have a statutory duty to ensure the safety of older people by training staff to prevent service users from being harmed or being placed at risk of harm.
	We also expect local councils and providers of non-regulated social care to comply by No Secrets, a statutory guide for developing a multi-agency framework for prevention and investigation of abuse to vulnerable adults. No Secrets, jointly published by the Department and the Home Office in 2000, provides a complete definition of abuse and a framework for councils to work with the police, the national health service and regulators to tackle and prevent abuse occurring. It encourages councils to publicise their adult protection procedures so that all older people are aware of how to seek help if needed. No Secrets gives local councils the lead for development of adult protection committees. A copy is available in the Library.
	On 7 February, I announced that the General Social Care Council is undertaking a consultation on registering the social care work force. This will allow us to set standards for people seeking social care jobs and to take sanctions against people if they fall below those standards of registration. A well-trained and fully registered work force will enable older people, parents and children to have confidence in the people who care for them.

Health Care

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many single-handed general practitioner practices there are in (a) Tamworth and (b) Staffordshire.

Liam Byrne: The information is not available in the format requested. The table shows the number of single handed general practitioner practices (GP) in each primary care trust (PCT) within the Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority (SHA) area.
	
		GP practices(1) for Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA, as at 30 September 2004
		
			 Numbers (headcount) 
			   of which: 
			  All practices Single handed 
		
		
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 255 68 
			 Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT 24 9 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands PCT 15 1 
			 Newcastle-Under-Lyme PCT 19 6 
			 Shropshire County PCT 44 - 
			 North Stoke PCT 22 9 
			 South Stoke PCT 34 17 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 22 5 
			 East Staffordshire PCT 19 3 
			 Cannock Chase PCT 31 15 
			 South Western Staffordshire PCT 25 3 
		
	
	(1) Figures relate to practitioners, excluding GP registrars and GP retainers, who are single handed that ishad no partners although their practice may have a GP registrar or GP retainer. This figure cannot be replicated for earlier years.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medial Services Statistics

Hearing Tests

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to reduce waiting times for (a) children and (b) adults who need hearing (i) aids and (ii) tests; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Several initiatives have been introduced to improve capacity to deliver audiology services for children and adults. These are the national framework contract (public private partnership) to bring in additional independent sector capacity, the development of a new degree to help to address the shortage of audiologists and the introduction of Hearing Direct that provides follow-up care and advice for hearing aid users who would benefit from this.
	The figures on waiting times for testing and fitting hearing aids are not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts to ensure their local population benefits from modernised hearing aid services.

High Cholesterol

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to encourage pharmacies to test cholesterol levels.

Jane Kennedy: New community pharmacy contractual arrangements provide the framework for pharmacy to make a positive contribution to tackling key health priorities such as obesity and coronary heart disease and to improving the health of the public, including where health inequalities persist.
	Some pharmacies offer blood pressure testing, cholesterol testing or a range of other screening tests. Such testing should be in accordance with relevant national screening guidelines, where they exist, and in line with local primary care trust (PCT) programmes for prevention and management of risk factors and with robust quality assurance processes.
	The Department published, Choosing Health through PharmacyA programme for pharmaceutical public health, in April 2005, which aims to maximise the contribution of pharmacists, their staff and the premises in which they work to improve health and reduce health inequalities. This strategy will enable pharmacists and their staff to make better use of their skills and it will open up opportunities for pharmacy to make a bigger difference to improving the health of people in England. PCTs can commission local enhanced services to meet identified health needs.
	Although we do not hold details centrally on the number of pharmacists planning to offer health checks or the numbers of such checks, we have developed an assurance framework for PCTs to use in monitoring pharmacy's implementation of new contractual requirements, and also strategic tests for strategic health authorities to monitor how PCTs are using the new framework to deliver key health priorities and objectives locally.

HIV/AIDS (Hertfordshire)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 721W, on HIV/AIDS (Hertfordshire), what assessment she has made of the reasons for the trends in HIV diagnosis rates; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The increasing number of HIV diagnoses in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA), from 16 diagnoses in 1997 to 247 diagnoses in 2004, is related to an increase in the number of diagnoses of HIV infections probably acquired through heterosexual contact, mainly in Africa.
	In 1997, there were seven diagnoses of HIV infection in heterosexual men and women in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA, in 2004 this figure had risen to 215 diagnoses. In 1997, five of the seven diagnoses were probably acquired through heterosexual contact in Africa, rising to 186 of 215 in 2004.
	This data are available on the Health Protection Agency's website at: www.hpa.org. uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/hiv/epidemiology/hars_tables.htm.

Home Oxygen Service

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints her Department received about the domiciliary oxygen supply service in West Lancashire in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005; and how many it has recruited in 2006.

Liam Byrne: During 2006, the Department has not received any complaints concerning domiciliary oxygen supply services in West Lancashire. For the period December 2000 through to December 2005, information on the first two years is not held centrally and for the remaining three years could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Home Oxygen Service

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on changes to the Home Oxygen Service.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 7 March 2006.

Home Oxygen Service

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps were taken by her Department to ensure that the companies bidding for the domiciliary oxygen contract had submitted bids adequate to cover the costs of providing the required service;
	(2)  whether companies awarded contracts for the supply of domiciliary oxygen (a) claimed additional costs, (b) asked for a review of the agreed contract price and (c) asked for extra monies to supply the service.

Jane Kennedy: All companies bidding for domiciliary oxygen service contracts submitted detailed cost schedules as part of documents required under the competitive tendering process, The assessment panel, which included members with financial expertise, assessed the schedules.
	Since signing contracts, no company has claimed additional costs associated with the delivery of the new service, asked for a review of the contract price or asked for extra moneys to supply the new service.

Hospital Food

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average (a) daily, (b) monthly and (c) annual expenditure on patient food was for NHS hospitals serving (i) the East Midlands, (ii) Leicestershire and (iii) North West Leicestershire in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 6 March 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Hospital Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will include Edgware Community Hospital in the directory of services for patient choice; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Services provided at Edgware Community Hospital are already included within the choose and book directory of services (DoS). Responsibility for loading the services delivered at Edgware Community Hospital onto the DoS lies with provider organisations rather than the Department. Once services are loaded onto the DoS, for example by a local national health service trust, they can be commissioned by primary care trusts and chosen by local patients.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she has requested the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation to make a recommendation for the use of the human papillomavirus vaccine as a matter of priority;
	(2)  when the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation will make a recommendation for the use of a human papillomavirus vaccine.

Caroline Flint: The human papillomavirus vaccine is not a licensed vaccine in the United Kingdom. The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation is looking at the safety and implications of this vaccine and will be making its decision at some future point.

Institutional Care (Disabled People)

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will consult on the proposal for a right for people with disabilities to request not to be placed in institutional care; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: We have already consulted on the proposal for a right for people with disabilities not to be placed in institutional care in Independence, Well-Being and Choice: Our vision for the future of social care for adults in England.
	The consultation ran between 21 March and 28 July 2005. An analysis of the consultation was published on 19 October 2005. Copies are available in the Library. Responses to the consultation were mixed and no clear view emerged.

Learning Disability Services

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the projected out-turn against budgeted expenditure by social services departments for learning disability services is in 200506;
	(2)  what the average expenditure per head of population by social services departments on learning disability services was in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what the total out-turn against budgeted expenditure by social services departments in England for learning disability services was in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Data on projected out-turn and budgeted expenditure by social services departments is not collected centrally.
	While the Department is responsible for establishing overall social care policy, councils have a significant degree of flexibility to manage and direct their own resources according to local priorities and the needs of the communities they represent, including people with learning disabilities. For this reason, we cannot provide a national figure for the funding provided in respect of learning disability services.
	The information available is shown in the table.
	
		
		
			  Gross expenditure on learning disabilities (LD) Gross expenditure on LD per head of population aged 1864 
		
		
			 199798 1,324,047,000 44.55 
			 199899 1,494,930,000 50.06 
			 19992000 1,633,064,000 54.32 
			 200001 1,751,908,000 57.87 
			 200102 1,903,991,000 62.49 
			 200203 2,253,481,000 73.55 
			 200304(2) 2,609,441,000 84.65 
			 200405(2) 2,850,224,000 91.87 
		
	
	(2) Includes expenditure from the supporting people grant.

Mental Health

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trained mental health professionals are available to treat children living in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield district and (c) Normanton constituency.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services: Medical staff working within the psychiatry group of specialties by specialty and organisation within West Yorkshire Strategic Health AuthorityEngland as at 30 September 2004
		
			 Numbers (headcount) 
			  All staff Child and adolescent psychiatry Forensic psychiatry General psychiatry Learning disabilities Old age psychiatry Psychotherapy 
		
		
			 West Yorkshire 368 23 15 232 20 71 7 
			 of which:
			 Bradford District Care Trust 76 12 1 52 5 5 1 
			 Calderdale and Huddersfield National Health Service Trust 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Leeds Primary Care Trust (PCT) 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Eastern Wakefield PCT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust 179 2 0 132 6 34 5 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 South Huddersfield PCT 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust 101 0 14 45 9 32 1 
			 Wakefield West PCT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census

MHRA

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs of implementing the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's Sentinel IT system are; and what impact it has had on time spent by assessors on simple applications for marketing authorisations.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 2 March 2006
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) Sentinel programme, began in 2002 following formal Government procurement processes. The expected life of the programme is 10 years and to date has cost around 19 million, which incorporates enhancements to the scope of the original programme. The MHRA is currently using Sentinel to handle all applications for marketing authorisations and variations, for clinical trial certificates and for import and export licences, as well as a range of internal corporate functions, and will soon extend Sentinel to pharmacovigilence, including new capabilities for signal generation.
	Recently assessment approval times have lengthened, mainly due to delays in validating applications, and assessment targets are not being met in a proportion of cases although urgent cases are being processed promptly. Some technical problems were encountered when parts of the Sentinel programme were implemented, which is not unusual for a project of this complexity, but those have been or are being resolved. Positive improvements have already been achieved and more are forecast. Sentinel's development is founded in its ability to handle electronic submissions and as industry increases its use of the external portal for this purpose, the workflow will be further streamlined.
	Sentinel completely revolutionises the MHRA's approach to information management and processing and will put the them in a leading position in its ability to handle electronic submissions, attract revenues from within and outside the United Kingdom and to remain a centre of excellence for medicines regulation. It will enable improved access to information to assist in the protection of public health and provide a better service to all its stakeholders.

NHS Optometry

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is her policy that eye examinations will continue to be provided under the NHS under general ophthalmic services.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service fund sight tests for eligible people which are carried out in accordance with the Sight Testing (Examination and Prescription) (No. 2) Regulations 1989. This includes external and intra-ocular examinations of the eye, and such additional examinations as appear to be necessary. We plan to continue providing NHS funded sight tests to all currently eligible people.

NHS Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was spent on recruiting (a) nurses and (b) consultants from abroad in each (i) strategic health authority and (ii) Government office region in the last 12 months for which figures are available, broken down by specialism;
	(2)  how many (a) nurses and (b) consultants, broken down by specialism, were recruited from abroad in each (i) strategic health authority and (ii) government office region in the last 12 months for which data is available; and what percentage of the total employed in each category these figures represent.

Liam Byrne: Details of the amount spent on recruiting nurses and consultants from abroad and the numbers recruited, broken down by specialism in each strategic health authority and Government office region are not collected centrally.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to question 45821, tabled on 23 January, by the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight.

Liam Byrne: A reply was given on 23 February 2006, Official Report, column 489W.

Patientline

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will examine the charges made by Patientline for telephone calls to and from hospital patients;
	(2)  what representations she has received on the cost of telephone calls provided by Patientline for hospital patients.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 2 March 2006
	I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made on 19 January 2006, Official Report, column 33WS.

Patientline

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to hospital trusts on charging patients for (a) telephone calls and (b) television viewing.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 2 March 2006
	In order to make this service available, a tender exercise was undertaken and a number of companies were licensed to provide these services to the national health service.
	The licence documentation contains guidance on acceptable charging strategies within the NHS.

Patientline

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute trusts have contracts with Patientline, broken down by region.

Jane Kennedy: Patientline currently has contracts to supply bedside televisions and telephones in 157 hospitals in 102 national health service trusts in England.
	The contracts won by region are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Region Number of trusts contracted 
		
		
			 Eastern 9 
			 London 20 
			 Midlands 18 
			 Northern 30 
			 Southern 15 
			 South East 10 
			 Total 102

Predictive Diallers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 187W, on predictive diallers, whether any public body for which her Department is responsible uses predictive dialling.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prescription Charges

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what part of her Department is responsible for establishing if a prescription charge exemption has been claimed incorrectly and for imposing appropriate penalties.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 3 March 2006
	Since 1 April 2005, individual primary care trusts have had the responsibility for establishing whether a prescription charge has been claimed incorrectly and for imposing a penalty charge where this is deemed to be appropriate.

Prisoners

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatment and care is offered to prisoners with learning disabilities.

Rosie Winterton: The assessment that prisoners receive on first reception into prison will provide an initial opportunity to identify those who might have a learning disability. Any follow up action will depend on the needs of the particular prisoner. From April 2006, all primary care trusts, in conjunction with the prison in their area, will be responsible for commissioning primary care services according to the particular needs of the prison population. Such arrangements should help to improve the range of treatment and care available to prisoners with learning disabilities. Prison mental health in-reach teams also have a role to play, with referral to appropriate specialists in particular cases.

Prostate Cancer

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the prostate cancer advisory group is next expected to report on its new initiatives.

Rosie Winterton: The report 'Making Progress on Prostate Cancer', published by the Department on behalf of the prostate cancer advisory group in November 2004, highlighted a number of future actions the group will take forward in tackling issues surrounding prostate cancer. These actions are in various states of development, and the group will consider publishing a further update report at an appropriate time.
	UK Prostate Link, the national prostate cancer website highlighted in the 'Making Progress on Prostate Cancer' report, was launched on 3 November 2005 and is available on its website at: http://www.prostate-link.org.uk This is the first comprehensive online source of information of its kind, and will help prostate cancer patients, their families and health professionals to find all the information they want to know about prostate cancer. The website is being jointly funded by the Department and signatories to the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action, providing a good example of joint working between the Government and stakeholders.

Rheumatology Services

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at what locations rheumatology services are available to patients in the North and South Stoke teaching primary care trust areas.

Liam Byrne: I am advised by Shropshire and Staffordshire strategic health authority, that North and South Stoke primary care trusts commission rheumatology services from the following locations:
	Queens Hospital, Burton
	Derby City General Hospital, Derby
	Macclesfield District General Hospital, Macclesfield
	Leighton Hospital, Crewe
	Mid Staffordshire District General Hospital National Health Service Trust, Stafford
	Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, Oswestry
	University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, Stoke-on-Trent
	Haywood Hospital, Stoke on Trent

School Nurses (Development)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department expects to publish an updated edition of the school nurse development pack; if she will place a copy in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: We will be publishing this document shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Sexual Health Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what grants have been provided to help patients accessing sexual health services in Guildford.

Caroline Flint: In February 2005, individual primary care trusts (PCTs), including those covering the Guildford area were notified of their choosing health revenue allocation. A separate breakdown for genitor-urinary medicine was not given. In 200607, 91.5 million will be allocated to PCTs for sexual health modernisation which includes funding for chlamydia screening and contraception and abortion services and a further 111.5 million will be allocated in 200708. In addition, a further 15 million for capital was allocated this financial year for sexual health services and a further 25 million in 200607 for sexual health will be allocated.
	Data on spend on sexual health services in each PCT are not collected centrally.

Social Services

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of outturn against budgets for local authority social services in the 200506 financial year; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: As the Department does not hold 200506 forecast outturn information in respect of the 150 local authorities with social services responsibilities, it is not possible to make any assessment of spend against social services' budgets for the current financial year. 200506 outturn data will not be available for publication until early in 2007. The most recently available outturn data, published on 2 February 2006, relates to the 200405 financial year.

Social Work (Recruitment)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been allocated for the National Social Work and Social Care recruitment drive, launched on 15 February, including the amount allocated for (a) national and local television, (b) press and (c) radio advertising.

Liam Byrne: A total budget of 2.72 million was allocated to the two recruitment campaigns. The social work campaign launched on 15 February and will be followed by a campaign for social care workers commencing 6 March.
	Television will be used for the social care campaign only. Total planned media costs 1.09 million.
	Press advertising will support both campaigns. Total planned media costs are 570,000.
	Radio advertising will also be used for both campaigns. Total planned media costs are
	785,000.
	The balance of the expenditure consists of production costs for the above, public relations agency costs, website development and brochure production.

Sterile Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why her Department does not allow contractors bidding for the sterile service supercentres to consult directly with the trusts they wish to supply.

Jane Kennedy: These are local contracts, which are being established through a structured bidding process. Bidders are encouraged to consult freely with national health service trusts.
	The only instance when they are not actively encouraged to meet NHS trusts is whilst tender documentation is issued for completion; any discussion during this period must be only to seek clarification of questions contained within the tender documentation. This is to ensure that all bidders are given an equal opportunity, treated fairly and equitably and we maintain compliance with European Union procurement guidelines.

Vandalism

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the acts of vandalism which have been perpetrated (a) inside and (b) on the outside of her Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: In the last 12 months, there were nil acts of vandalism perpetuated inside the Department's buildings. However, pink paint was thrown outside at one of the Department's buildings, Richmond House, causing damage to brickwork, signage and forecourt.

Waiting Lists/Times

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written answer of 11 January 2006, Official Report, columns 7256W, on Health Committee evidence, how many patients were waiting over (a) six months for in-patient treatment and (b) 13 weeks for out-patient treatment in each week between 4 December 2005 and the first week of January 2006.

Jane Kennedy: The data requested for the weeks in December 2005 are shown in the table. These figures include Welsh patients waiting at English hospitals, who are not covered by the English waiting time targets. As from January 2006, national figures are no longer centrally available, as weekly data are now only collected on a voluntary basis
	Monthly data, published on 3 February 2006, showed that the number of inpatients waiting over six months on 31 December 2005 was 48, including 36 patients waiting at Welsh hospitals, and the number of out-patients waiting over 13 weeks was 171, including 153 patients waiting in Welsh hospitals.
	This contrasts with the position in June 1997 when there were around 370,000 more patients waiting for treatment; 283,000 more in-patients waiting over six months; and 338,000 more out-patients waiting over 13 weeks.
	
		
			  Week ending: Over 6 month in-patient wait Over 13 week out-patient wait 
		
		
			 11 December 2005 14,046 14,814 
			 18 December 2005 10,961 14,838 
			 25 December 2005 Data not collected Data not collected 
			 31 December 2005 973 2,049 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures included Welsh patients waiting at English hospitals
	Source:
	Provider based weekly monitoring data

PRIME MINISTER

Meetings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many meetings he has had with (a) representatives of UK Muslim communities and (b) Muslim youth groups in each of the last three years.

Tony Blair: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a wide range of subjects. I have met representatives of UK Muslim communities and Muslim youth groups on a number of occasions.

Meetings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many meetings he has held with representatives of (a) Iraqi and (b) Afghan communities living in the UK in each of the last three years.

Tony Blair: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a wide range of subjects. I have met representatives of both the Iraqi and Afghani communities living in the UK.

Special Advisers

Frank Dobson: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much was paid to Professor Julian Le Grand during his period of employment as a Downing Street adviser;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total sum to be paid to Downing Street advisers in 200506.

Tony Blair: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. I refer my right hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement I made on 21 July 2005, Official Report, columns 15861WS. Information on the numbers of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and this information is available in the Libraries of the House.
	Information on special advisers for 200506 will be published in the normal way once it has been completed.

Special Advisers

Frank Dobson: To ask the Prime Minister what methods he uses to assess the value for money of the employment of Downing Street advisers (a) in general and (b) individually.

Tony Blair: Special advisers are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. Individual posts are subject to standardised job evaluation.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is the policy of her Department regarding sourcing goods from Burma.

Elliot Morley: There are no current economic sanctions or restrictions on sourcing goods from Burma and so it would be inappropriate for my Department to set special contract terms for goods made in Burma.
	Government policy on trade with Burma is to offer no support to British companies who want to trade there, informing those who inquire about trade with Burma of the grave political situation, the regime's atrocious record on human rights and record of economic mismanagement. This is in line with the common position on Burma adopted by the EU in 1996 and renewed in 2005.
	As far as I am aware there is no evidence to suggest that my Department has purchased any goods from Burma recently.
	As far as policy on forestry is concerned, the Government are working closely with the NGO Global Witness on how best to protect Burma's forests. Their recent report, A Choice for China calls for a ban on illegally logged timber. It did not, however, support a ban on all timber from Burma in recognition of the complexity of the problem. Instead, Global Witness called for timber companies not to import illegally logged timber, and for the Chinese Government to suspend importation of logs and processed timber across the China-Burma border. This is pending a review of the legality of all logging operations in Kachin state. Global Witness's work has had a significant impact in Burma, and as a result of their highlighting this problem, the State Peace and Development Council and the Chinese Government have taken steps to clamp down on the illegal trade. According to Global Witness, the destructive logging and vast timber trade on the China-Burma border have come to a near halt over the past four months although it is not clear how permanent such moves will be.

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the quantity of timber imported from Burma in each of the last 10 years; and which companies are the main importers of timber into the UK from Burma over this period.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	
		Volume of timber imports from Burma 19962005
		
			  Netmass (tonnes) 
		
		
			 1996 464 
			 1997 214 
			 1998 81 
			 1999 2,899 
			 2000 11,344 
			 2001 6,877 
			 2002 5,538 
			 2003 4,776 
			 2004 440 
			 2005 4,176 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures include timber and processed wood products such as plywood, but exclude made up articles of wood (in keeping with previous answers).
	Source:
	HM Revenue and Customs, Overseas Trade Statistics
	Information on individual importers and consignments is recorded from customs documents submitted at import. For reasons of confidentiality, HM Revenue and Customs do not publish company information at the level of detail required by this question.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on carbon dioxide emissions of increased miles travelled due to closure of (a) post offices, (b) bank branches and (c) local retail shops.

Elliot Morley: Neither the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs nor the Department for Transport have made these assessments. Emissions from these journey types are part of the estimate for road transport as a whole in the UK greenhouse gas inventory, and in the UK projections of emissions.

Climate Change Communications Initiative

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what notice was given to the National Assembly for Wales of the launch in January 2006 of the climate change communications initiative, tomorrow's climate, today's challenge; what financial input into the initiative the National Assembly was asked to provide; what percentage of that input was committed to benefit Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The climate communications initiative was launched in December 2005, and the climate challenge fund and youth competition were announced in January 2006. Officials from my Department had been in discussion in general terms with officials from the National Assembly for Wales prior to and following the announcement of the climate change communications initiative in February 2005. The indicative figure for Welsh participation in the youth competition was 5,000, equating to the inclusion of one young climate champion from Wales. Discussions on the challenge fund focused largely on the principle of participation, with an indicative contribution for the duration of the fund of the order of 300,000-500,000 based pro-rata on population. All of the monies coming from Wales would have benefited Welsh applicants, with some allowance for administration.

Climate-proofing (Policy Delivery)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she is holding with other Departments on climate proofing new policy delivery.

Elliot Morley: My Department has been consulting with many other Government Departments and other organisations in the development of the climate change Adaptation Policy Framework. A consultation document was issued in November 2005, and the consultation period ended on 31 January 2006. The results of this exercise will be published later this year.
	The Adaptation Policy Framework is seeking to integrate adaptation to climate change into the wider policy making process so that it can be considered alongside other policy objectives and priorities.
	Throughout the development of the Adaptation Policy Framework we will be seeking to continue to build on our relationships with other Departments and all regions.

Contingency Planning

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government Decontamination Service has the capacity to operate in response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents abroad.

Elliot Morley: The Government Decontamination Service is able to support operations to remediate parts of the UK contaminated as a result of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, regardless of the origins of the contamination.

Cryosat Mission (Global Warming)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the role of the European Space Agency's Cryosat mission in assessing global warming; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Cryosat 2 will make a unique contribution to understanding how Arctic sea ice is thinning due to global warming, and the extent to which the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are contributing to global sea level rise.
	In parallel with the space-based mission there will be extensive complementary modelling and ground-based experiments to maximise the scientific return from the mission. This will lead to improved predictions of future sea-ice extent and sea-level rise.
	The lead scientist for the European Space Agency's (ESA's) Cryosat mission is Professor Duncan Wingham, Director of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC's) Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, based at University College, London. NERC is responsible for the UK's subscription to ESA's Earth Observation Envelope Programme, through which Cryosat is funded.

Farm Payments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects this year's single payment will be made to farmers; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 3 March 2006
	I am pleased to report that the first 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) payments were released from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on 20 February 2006. RPA is continuing in its efforts to make the bulk of payments by the end of March, and all payments are expected to be made before the 30 June regulatory deadline.

Farm Payments

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the administration of the Single Farm Payments Scheme in Lancashire.

Jim Knight: holding answer 3 March 2006
	The Rural Payments Agency responds to all correspondence relating to the Single Payment Scheme. As the scheme is not administered on a regional basis, it does not hold records on representations specific to Lancashire.

Farm Subsidies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the first payments will be made under the Single Farm Payments scheme in North Yorkshire.

Jim Knight: I am pleased to report that the first Single Payment Scheme (SPS) payments were released from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on 20 February 2006. RPA is continuing in its efforts to make the bulk of payments by the end of March, and all payments are expected to be made before the 30 June 2006 regulatory deadline.
	Payments are made randomly as claims are validated and not on a regional basis.

Farm Subsidies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the full farm payments which are due under the Single Farm Payments scheme will be made.

Jim Knight: I am pleased to report that the first Single Payment Scheme (SPS) payments were released by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) on 20 February 2006. RPA is continuing in its efforts to make the bulk of payments by the end of March, and all payments are expected to be made before the 30 June regulatory deadline.

Farm Subsidies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the administration of the Single Farm Payments Scheme in North Yorkshire.

Jim Knight: The Rural Payments Agency responds to all correspondence relating to the Single Payment Scheme. As the scheme is not administered on a regional basis, it does not hold records on representations specific to North Yorkshire.

Farm Subsidies

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government will reimburse farmers for financial loss caused by delays in the single farm payment.

Jim Knight: The payment window for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) 2005 as set by EU legislation opens on 1 December 2005 and runs until 30 June 2006.
	I am pleased to report that the first SPS payments were released by the Rural Payments Agency on 20 February 2006. The bulk of payments are expected to be complete by the end of March, and I expect all payments will be made within the regulatory payment window.
	Under the circumstances it is not appropriate to pay interest.

Greenhouse Gases

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases was emitted from water treatment and sewerage systems in 200405; and what assessment she has made of the trend in emissions from such sources.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 March 2006
	The main greenhouse gases emitted during the handling and treatment of sewerage are methane and nitrous oxide. Total greenhouse gas emissions from this sector were 2.0 million tonnes of carbon dioxide 2004, the most recent year for which data are available. Emissions from this sector have grown by 15 per cent. since 1990, the base year for emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. However, overall emissions of methane and nitrous oxide have fallen by 50 per cent. and 40 per cent. respectively, since 1990.

National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff were employed in the National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit on 1 March (a) 2005 and (b) 2006; how many are expected to be employed on 1 April 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It would not be appropriate to publicise operational details about a specialist unit of this kind, but I am pleased to say that on 28 February I announced that the Government will contribute an additional 200,000 to the Unit, and that the Association of Chief Police Officers will provide a further 50,000. This will enable the Unit to expand, strengthening its role in fighting wildlife crime and in reducing the risk of diseases, such as avian influenza, entering the UK through illegal trade.

Pheasant Shooting

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) pheasant eggs for hatching and (b) pheasant poults were imported from France to the UK for shooting purposes in each year since 2001.

Jim Knight: holding answer 6 March 2006
	Imports of pheasant eggs are not reported separately by HM Revenue and Customs. The numbers of eggs for hatching, for all poultry other than turkeys or geese, imported from France are shown in the following table:
	
		Poultry eggs for hatching other than turkeys or geese
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			 2001 191 
			 2002 3,372 
			 2003 1,314 
			 2004 1,219 
			 2005 2,163 
		
	
	Imports of pheasant poults are also not recorded as a separate category but are recorded within imports of live other birds (detailed in the footnote). Information is only available on the weight and value of the birds imported. Data are not currently available for the volume of imports in 2005, as the data are still being processed. Imports from France of live other birds are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Live: Other birds1 
			  Tonnes 000 
		
		
			 2001 0 0 
			 2002 61 214 
			 2003 286 908 
			 2004 155 1,056 
			 2005 n/a 1,421 
		
	
	(3) Live other birds exclude: chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, birds of prey, pigeons, parrots, parakeets, macaws, cockatoos

Private Sewers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the protocol on private sewers introduced in April 2002;
	(2)  what recent representations the Department has received on problems with private sewers; what response she plans to make; and whether a public consultation on tackling problems with private sewers is planned;
	(3)  what recent research has been undertaken by the Department to ascertain the level and nature of problems with private sewers;
	(4)  how many houses in each local authority area are connected to private sewers.

Elliot Morley: The Government are aware of the problems associated with private sewers.
	Few records are kept of private sewers and a breakdown of how many houses in each local authority connect to private sewers is not available. It is estimated that up to 50 per cent. of properties in England and Wales connect to private sewers in one form or another. Householders are often unaware that their property is connected to a private sewer or that they are responsible for its maintenance (sometimes jointly with others) until a problem occurs.
	The Government have taken action to tackle the problems associated with private sewers in two stages. The first stage is designed to prevent the creation of further private sewers. A voluntary protocol for the construction of new sewers was introduced in April 2002 which detailed a build standard to make sewers suitable for adoption by water and sewerage companies (WaSCs). A recent review of the protocol conducted on behalf of Government by WS Atkins Consultants Ltd. (Atkins) found that less than 1 per cent. of developers were adhering to it. The Government are currently considering whether the protocol should therefore be mandatory.
	The second stage looks at existing private sewers. Research commissioned from Atkins formed the basis of a public consultation reviewing existing arrangements for private sewers and drains in England and Wales. The consultation sought views on a number of possible solutions to the problems they pose. The majority of respondents favoured transferring ownership of private sewers to WaSCs. The Government published their initial response to the consultation in October 2004, which summarised responses, gave the Government's preliminary views and set out the issues that needed to be addressed before a final decision is made.
	Defra held a seminar in January 2005 with over 90 relevant stakeholders to agree sustainable options for transferring ownership of private sewers and lateral drains. The information gathered through discussions at the seminar will inform the Government's final decision. Further information on the seminar is available on Defra's website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/industry/sewers/existing/index.htm
	Defra also commissioned market research to explore customers' possible views on the transfer of private sewers. A qualitative customer survey comprised 20 focus groups across England and Wales and a final report explaining the findings is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/industry/sewers/existing/index.htm.
	The Government intend to publish their decision on how to deal with existing private sewers and lateral drains in England and Wales in the next few months,, but do not rule out further consultation on implementation options should a decision be taken to transfer their ownership to WaSCs.

Regulatory Simplification

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulatory simplification proposals relating to environmental regulations were received in 2005; how such proposals are made public; and what mechanisms are in place to enable interested parties to comment on these proposals.

Elliot Morley: Since the launch of the Government's regulatory simplification initiative on 15 September 2005, DEFRA has received 20 proposals relating to environmental regulations.
	There is no current requirement to make such proposals public but the Department will consult interested stakeholders before agreeing to take any simplification ideas forward.
	Proposals that are taken forward by the Department will be included in updated versions of DEFRA's simplification plan. The Department's initial plan Lifting the Burden was published in November 2005 and contains details of 64 simplification initiatives that are taking place over the next year. Copies of the plan have been placed in the House Library or can be downloaded at
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/regulat/pdf/lifting-burden.pdf

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will hold a public consultation on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA do not intend to hold a public consultation on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution prior to the government's response, which is being coordinated by DEFRA and will be published this summer. Any new policy initiatives resulting from the response will be developed in line with Cabinet Office guidance on holding public consultations.

Sustainable Procurement

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she is offering to other Departments on sustainable procurement.

Elliot Morley: The Sustainable Procurement Task force was set up in May 2005 under the Government's Sustainable Development Strategy. The Task Force, under the chairmanship of Sir Neville Simms, is a business led group reporting jointly to DEFRA's Secretary of State and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. The Task Force will deliver a Sustainable Procurement National Action Plan to DEFRA and HM Treasury before the end of April 2006, enabling the UK Government to bring about a step change in public procurement such that, by 2009, it can meet the goal in the Sustainable Development Strategy of the UK being recognised as amongst the leaders in sustainable procurement across the EU.
	The Task Force is addressing five key themes: international benchmarking; data and priorities; engaging with the supply base; accountability; and capacity and is building on existing and previous initiatives in sustainable procurement. These include the Market Transformation Programme; the Sustainable Procurement Group; the Quick Wins list published jointly by DEFRA and the OGC; the joint note by the OGC and DEFRA on environmental issues in purchasing; the Framework for the Government Estate, which required every Department to have published a sustainable procurement strategy by 1 December 2005; the work of the Sustainable Development Commission, Envirowise, WRAP and The Carbon Trust amongst others; the work of the Strategic Supply Chain Group; the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative and the Catering Services Toolkit; the UK's timber procurement policy; and, most recently, the OGC's note on Social Issues in Purchasing. The UK is leading work in the EU on green public procurement under the Environmental Technologies Action Plan. The UK is a member of the OECD Steering Group on Green Public Procurement.
	DEFRA is working closely with its suppliers to ensure that products, equipment and services supplied to it are from approved recognised sustainable sources; has grouped its commodities and services into categories and is implementing a category management strategy; seeks every opportunity to work collaboratively with the NAO, the OGC and other public and private sector bodies to adopt and implement sustainable best practice. Two recent examples include the cross public sector travel procurement tender and the pan Government printed paper contract. DEFRA has also published a Position Statement on DEFRA and Social Enterprise, and the OGC and Home Office have published Think smart.think voluntary sector!
	The Department has published its Sustainable Procurement Strategy and Toolkit at:
	http://www.defraweb/corporate/sdstrategy/operations/partf.htm
	the PSFPI website is at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/form/sustain/procurement/index.htm
	the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) website is at:
	http://www.proforest.net/cpet
	and the minimum environmental products list (Quick Wins) is at:
	www.mtprog.com.
	The OGC website is at:
	www.ogc.gov.uk

Water Abstraction (SSSIs)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites of special scientific interest are assessed as being at risk due to over-abstraction of water.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 March 2006
	In the order of 80 sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been identified as at risk from a water company abstraction and are being investigated under the Asset Management programme-AMP-4. Of these 54 are within sites designated under the habitats directive or the birds directive.
	Further SSSIs which may be at risk from licensed abstraction, including that from agriculture and other industries as well as water companies, are being identified by English Nature as part of its overall programme to meet the SSSI public service agreement (PSA) target. This programme is identifying he work which needs to be put in place, and by whom, to restore all SSSIs assessed as unfavourable to a recovering or favourable condition. Any further SSSIs identified as at risk from licensed abstraction will be considered with the Environment Agency for action. In parallel, the Environment Agency in consultation with English Nature, is reviewing all its consents and licences affecting SSSIs that have been designated under the habitats directive or the birds directive.

Water Supply

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent long-term water shortages.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency is the statutory body with a duty to manage water resources in England and Wales. As part of the agency's management role it has both national and regional water resource strategies which set out the pressures over the next 25 years.
	Water companies have statutory duties to maintain adequate supplies of water. They have 25 year water resource plans which complement the agency strategies and seek to reconcile supply with anticipated demand. This forward planning framework exists to take into account water supply infrastructure required to service significant new housing developments and the implications of climate change.
	Although produced voluntarily, every five years, at present these plans will become a statutory requirement under the provisions of the Water Act 2003. My Department is currently consulting on the exercise of the new powers in respect of statutory water resource plans.

Water Supply

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reservoir capacity of each water company was at the time of privatisation; what the capacity was of the reservoirs of each company or its successor on the latest day for which figures are available; and what the amount of leakage was from the pipes of each water company (a) in 199596 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 March 2006
	There has been very little change in reservoir capacity since privatisation in 1989. Overall there has been a balance of some small reservoirs being taken out of operation and some introduced.
	The capacities quoted below are for 2006 and derived from records of reservoirs that fall within the ambit of the Reservoirs Act 1975; it therefore includes the capacity of all reservoirs that are capable of storing water in excess of 25,000 cubic metres behind any form of dam or bunding arrangements. The capacities are listed against the company that owns the reservoir: in some cases the resources of some reservoirs are shared between two or three companies.
	
		
			 Company Capacity (million litres) 
		
		
			 Anglian Water Services 230,000 
			 Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water(4) (4)300 
			 Bristol Water 32,000 
			 Cambridge Water 0 
			 Dee Valley Water 1,600 
			 Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water) 460,000 
			 Essex and Suffolk Water 54,000 
			 Folkestone and Dover Water Services 45 
			 Mid Kent Water 0 
			 Northumbrian Water 370,000 
			 Portsmouth Water 0 
			 Severn Trent Water 270,000 
			 South East Water 9,000 
			 South Staffordshire Water 21,000 
			 South West Water Services 119,000 
			 Southern Water Services 43,000 
			 Sutton and East Surrey Water 10,000 
			 Tendring Hundred Water Services 2,200 
			 Thames Water 160,000 
			 Three Valleys Water 3,300 
			 United Utilities 300,000 
			 Wessex Water Services 12,000 
			 Yorkshire Water Services 190,000 
		
	
	(4) This was zero in 1989.
	The Director General of Water Services publishes leakage figures annually in the Security of supply, leakage and the efficient use of water reports. Total water company leakage, in megalitres per day, was reported as follows:
	
		
			 Company 199596 200405 
		
		
			 Anglian Water Services 242 214 
			 Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water 28 22 
			 Bristol Water 66 53 
			 Cambridge Water 16 14 
			 Dee Valley Water 15 11 
			 Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water) 413 226 
			 Essex and Suffolk Water 90 67 
			 Folkestone and Dover Water Services 13 8 
			 Mid Kent Water 40 29 
			 Northumbrian Water 190 155 
			 Portsmouth Water 30 30 
			 Severn Trent Water 632 502 
			 South East Water 94 69 
			 South Staffordshire Water 93 74 
			 South West Water Services 142 83 
			 Southern Water Services 120 92 
			 Sutton and East Surrey Water 26 24 
			 Tendring Hundred Water Services 6 5 
			 Thames Water 1,110 915 
			 Three Valleys Water 199 149 
			 United Utilities 789 500 
			 Wessex Water Services 133 73 
			 Yorkshire Water Services 495 293

Water Supply

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what minimum (a) additional water supply infrastructure, (b) additional works to existing water supply infrastructure and (c) change in per capita consumption of water she expects to be required in order to enable an adequate water supply to be maintained when the Government have achieved their target for additional new dwellings in Mid Sussex by 2016; and what steps the Government are taking to ensure an adequate water supply.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 March 2006
	The Environment Agency is the statutory body with a duty to manage water resources in England and Wales. As part of the agency's management role it has both national and regional water resource strategies which set out the pressures over the next 25 years.
	Water companies have statutory duties to maintain adequate supplies of water. They have 25 year water resource plans which complement the agency strategies and seek to reconcile supply with anticipated demand. The plans take account of changing trends in water consumption. This forward planning framework exists to take account of factors such as the water supply and disposal infrastructure required to service significant new housing developments.
	It is for water companies to plan the investment necessary to deliver their services, including the necessary financial provision, and it is for Ofwat, in the light of companies' plans, to secure that companies carry out and are able to finance their functions.

Water Tariffs

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of applying the water affordability tariff, to be introduced in Northern Ireland in April 2007, to England and Wales.

Elliot Morley: The new affordability tariff in Northern Ireland is being introduced in response to particular circumstances which do not apply in England and Wales. A parallel cannot be drawn which might warrant extending the scheme to England.
	Northern Ireland has a public sector water service and there are no household water and sewerage charges. The costs are instead met by local and national taxation. This is set to change in April 2007, when charges will be introduced for the first time. As no charges have been paid before, the Government decided to ease the transition towards full cost recovery, phasing in the charges gradually over a three-year period. The new affordability tariff in Northern Ireland will be based on income and set at a level equivalent to 3 per cent. of the single person's pension credit guarantee, as updated by Parliament each year. The status of the protection will be reviewed after three years.
	The water industry in England and Wales is within the private sector and costs are met by charges to customers, a system which is long established. It is not appropriate to subsidise private water companies with taxpayers' money. Subsidies would reduce incentives for companies to improve their performance, and to be accountable to their customers.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Ben Chapman: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will make a statement on the conduct of the Crown Prosecution Service in the trial of Mike McCartney.

Mike O'Brien: Michael McCartney was prosecuted for a single offence of sexual touching. The criteria under which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decides whether to prosecute cases is first whether there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and secondly, whether it is then in the public interest to proceed. The CPS took the view, having obtained advice from independent counsel, that the requirements of both these tests were fulfilled and it was therefore right for the case to proceed.

TRANSPORT

A and E Provision (Road Signs)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ask the Highways Agency to develop and implement signage on trunk roads that distinguishes between NHS hospitals (a) with and (b) without accident and emergency departments, with particular reference to Edith Cavell hospital in Peterborough; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 already define the permitted traffic signs on trunk roads in respect of hospitals with accident and emergency facilities and those without.
	As part of a recently completed signing improvement/renewal scheme, worn out signs on the A47 trunk road in Peterborough were changed in order to bring them up to modern standards. The scheme aimed to reduce confusion, clutter and the physical size of the signs. The Highways Agency concluded that only the nearest hospital in Peterborough with accident and emergency would be signed from the trunk road.
	The Edith Cavell hospital does not have accident and emergency facilities and therefore it is no longer signed from the A47 trunk road.
	Representatives from the Highways Agency attended a meeting at the Edith Cavell hospital on Thursday 2 March to discuss the new signs and how visitors could be helped to find their way to the hospital.

A47 (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of households in the Peterborough constituency adjacent to the A47 which are adversely affected by noise; what estimate he has made of the decibel levels concerned; and if he will make a statement on the acoustic screening on that stretch of trunk road.

Stephen Ladyman: Noise calculations were undertaken for two locations on the A47 in the vicinity of Peterborough based on noise surveys carried out in October/ November 2005. The calculated roadside noise levels, obtained as part of that sift assessment, are 79dB(A) and 78dB(A) for eye bypass the castor bypass respectively.
	No locations alongside the A47 were identified as sites at which known noise problems existed and thus have not been included on the list of locations meeting sift criteria announced on 22 March 1999, for which noise problems are being mitigated in conjunction with a 5 million ring-fenced budget.
	Peterborough city council assisted with a study of the noise impact on residential properties at Aspley Way, Longthorpe but this has not resulted in a proposal to increase the provision of acoustic screening along this section of the A47.

Aircraft Emissions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the level of emissions from aircraft using UK airspace in each of the past 20 years.

Karen Buck: We do not collect data on emissions from aircraft in UK airspace.
	DEFRA have recently published research in Study on the Allocation of Emissions from International Aviation to the UK Inventory. The report is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/Project_Data/DocumentLibrary/GA01060/GA01060_3319_FRP.pdf.

British Transport Police

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many community support officers there are in the British Transport Police in (a) Swansea and (b) England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: As at 2 March 2006 there are 191 British Transport Police Community Support Officers in England and Wales, none of which is presently deployed in Swansea.

Bus Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus services have been (a) withdrawn and (b) added to service in (i) England and (ii) West Lancashire in each financial year since 1 April 1998.

Karen Buck: The following table shows the number of bus services added and withdrawn in the UK broken down by Traffic Area since 1 April 1998.
	The data kept by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency on registered bus services do not differentiate between West Lancashire and the rest of the North Western Traffic Area.
	
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 
			  New Cancelled New Cancelled New Cancelled New Cancelled 
		
		
			 North Eastern Traffic Area 1,127 1,058 669 674 843 697 971 637 
			 North Western Traffic Area 1,243 790 1,077 842 1,147 1048 933 666 
			 West Midlands Traffic Area 525 495 398 335 482 404 347 307 
			 Eastern Traffic Area 1,117 784 690 727 710 941 767 725 
			 Western Traffic Area 592 394 622 2,518 520 456 568 334 
			 South Eastern and Metropolitan Traffic Area 398 273 256 195 218 222 370 206 
			 Total 5,002 3,794 3,712 5,291 3,920 3,768 3,956 2,875 
			 Scottish Traffic Area 673 509 763 704 572 578 901 870 
			 Welsh Traffic Area 199 111 281 251 278 224 270 202 
			 Total including Scotland and Wales 5,874 4,414 4,756 6,246 4,770 4,570 5,127 3,947 
		
	
	
		
			  200203 200304 200405 
			  New Cancelled New Cancelled New Cancelled 
		
		
			 North Eastern Traffic Area 926 477 772 601 842 589 
			 North Western Traffic Area 1,042 578 990 584 1,066 652 
			 West Midlands Traffic Area 371 510 587 475 561 459 
			 Eastern Traffic Area 571 499 670 585 663 542 
			 Western Traffic Area 532 422 652 425 553 404 
			 South Eastern and Metropolitan Traffic Area 275 210 205 121 196 111 
			 Total 3,737 2,696 3,876 2,791 3,881 2,757 
			 Scottish Traffic Area 675 516 540 318 411 258 
			 Welsh Traffic Area 313 208 236 162 293 175 
			 Total including Scotland and Wales 4,725 3,420 4,652 3,271 4,615 3,190 
		
	
	Grand totals
	New Services: 28,084 / 34,519
	Cancelled Services: 24,152 / 29,058

Car Journeys

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of journeys in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Wrexham were taken by car in the last period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: According to data from the National Travel Survey, in 2004 car/van was the main mode of transport for 63 per cent. of trips by residents, of Great Britain and 70 per cent. of trips by residents of Wales. Data are not available for the UK or Wrexham.

Commercial Vehicle Licences

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle licences for commercial operators were issued in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: Statistics on vehicle licences issued for commercial operators are published in the Traffic Commissioners' annual report available from the House of Commons Library or www.dft.gsi.gov.uk.

Commuter Services (Shropshire)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage bus companies to provide services suitable for commuter use in Shropshire; and what plans he has to introduce more bus lanes in Shropshire.

Karen Buck: Bus services outside London are provided mainly on a commercial basis by private operators and decisions on service specifications are largely for the commercial judgement of operators. Local authorities have power to subsidise non-commercial services, but they decide which services to support. The Department is part-funding a transport study of Shrewsbury under the Transport Innovation Fund which is linked to demand management measures and will include a review of passenger transport services across the town.

Concessionary Travel

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to encourage neighbouring councils to co-operate to provide concessionary travel within a group of adjoining authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: We are keen for local authorities to work together to provide cross boundary, county or regional-wide schemes where that suits local circumstances. Local authorities will have discretion to work together to provide cross-boundary travel, as they do at present, based on their judgment of local needs and their overall financial priorities.

Concessionary Travel

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the new concessionary travel scheme on people who need public transport to attend a hospital in an adjoining local authority; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: None. Local authorities have the discretion to offer travel concessions to a hospital outside their boundary based on their judgment of local needs and circumstances and their overall financial priorities.

Departmental Energy Costs

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent by his Department on (a) gas and (b) electricity in 200405.

Karen Buck: The Department spent 513,122 on gas and 2,166,870 on electricity in 200405 on the departmental estate.

Driving Standards (Commercial Vehicles)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) persons and (b) organisations consulted on plans to introduce a certificate of professional competence for drivers of commercial vehicles; whether he is still consulting thereon; when he expects to introduce firm proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) held a 12-week public consultation on the introduction of a certificate of professional competence (CPC) for professional drivers, as required by EU directive 2003/ 59/EC. The consultation closed on 8 February, and DSA will shortly post the findings on its website. The directive requires legislation to be introduced by September 2006.
	An indicative list of those who were invited to comment is contained in annex E of the consultation paper, which is available on DSA's website. Letters were sent to the 1,049 stakeholders on DSA's list of consultees, including bus and lorry companies, driver training organisations, local authorities and emergency services. Letters were also sent to some 834 individuals and organisations on DSA's voluntary register of large goods vehicle instructors; 168 delegated driving examiners; and the 977 training organisations which use DSA's dedicated test booking facility for commercial customers. The paper was posted on the Agency's website and publicised in DSA's trade magazine Despatch.
	Since summer 2005, DSA has made numerous presentations across Great Britain to raise awareness of the directive. These helped to inform the content of the consultation paper.

Driving Standards (Commercial Vehicles)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a special category under his certificate of professional competence for drivers of commercial vehicles to enable a lower level of training to be undertaken where the driver only intends to drive a historic commercial vehicle and that vehicle is not being used for commercial purposes.

Stephen Ladyman: European directive 2003/59/EC requires most professional bus, coach and lorry drivers to hold a certificate of professional competence (CPC) in addition to the relevant driving licence. Bus and coach drivers are affected from September 2008; lorry drivers from September 2009.
	There are exemptions to the general requirement for bus and coach drivers to hold a CPC. One of these covers situations where drivers are not working commercially.

Fair Trade

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much and what proportion of his Department's catering budget was spent on fair trade produce in the last period for which figures are available.

Karen Buck: Where figures are available, the amount spent on fair trade produce and the proportion of the catering budget that this covers is as follows:
	Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA)4,700/20 percent.
	Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)44,443/24 percent.
	The GCDA data relate to the period from April 2005 to January 2006. Data in respect of the DVLA cover the period from 200405 and includes expenditure on fair trade produce for hospitality purposes and for purchase in staff restaurants.
	Information on the proportion of the catering budget spent on fair trade produce and data on actual spend within our London HQ buildings can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Freight Control

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on changes to UK national control of freight following Commission Regulation 62/2006 of 23 December 2005, OJ L13 of 18 December 2005; what assessment he has made of the degree to which transfer of authority to a supranational structure has occurred; and what estimate he has made of the potential effect on costs.

Derek Twigg: The regulation is intended to improve the tracking and flow of rail freight throughout Europe. The regulation requires the European freight industry to cooperate and develop a deployment plan. There has been no transfer of authority to a supranational structure. An assessment of the life cycle cost of the system for freight is requested as part of the plan development.

Llansamlet Railway Station

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate inspectors visited Llansamlet railway station in 200405; and what assessment they made of the station facilities and security arrangements.

Derek Twigg: The Health and Safety Executive's Her Majesty's railway inspectorate (HMRI) made no visits to Llansamlet railway station during 200405.

M4

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of motorway are under repair on the M4 between junction 13 and the Almondsbury interchange.

Stephen Ladyman: A total of 9 miles westbound and 20.5 miles eastbound of the M4 between Junction 13 and Almondsbury is currently subject to roadworks. 0.5 miles of both figures is at Almondsbury, where safety barriers are being repaired; the remainder is for the installation of electronic driver information systems.

Marine Environment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library copies of the (a) current and (b) proposed new guidance for mariners on (i) Muckle Flugga, (ii) Fethaland, Shetland and (iii) Tor Ness, Hoy.

Stephen Ladyman: As regards current guidance, a mariner planning a passage through the areas indicated in the Shetland and Orkney Islands would, as required by Chapter V, Regulation 34 of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, be expected to use the largest scale Admiralty charts of the region, supplemented by a number of nautical publications. The main publications are:
	North Coast of Scotland Admiralty Sailing Directions (NP 52)contains a wealth of information and guidance and intended to amplify that already contained on the charts;
	Admiralty List of Radio Signalsin particular Volume 6.(1) which details pilot services, vessel traffic services and port operations;
	Admiralty List of Lights (Volume A)characteristics of visual aids to navigation;
	Admiralty List of Tides (Volume 1)times and heights of tides at primary and secondary ports;
	Admiralty Tidal Stream Atlas (Orkney and Shetland Islands)tidal streams and rates;
	Admiralty Notices to Marinersissued by the UK Hydrographic Office;
	if carried (although not required by law), the International Maritime Organization Ships' Routeing Manual which details all routeing measures adopted by the IMO. The information contained within the manual is also reproduced, as appropriate, on relevant charts and in relevant publications.
	As regards new guidance, my Department's Maritime and Coastguard Agency will publish a Marine Information Note which will advise mariners about the UK's Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs), to be followed in due course by a Marine Guidance Note. I shall take the earliest opportunity to place the Marine Information Note, and the subsequent Marine Guidance Note, in the House of Commons Library.

Marine Environment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the new marine environmental high risk areas for (a) Muckle Flugga, (b) Fethaland, Shetland and (c) Tor Ness, Hoy.

Stephen Ladyman: The establishment of Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs) is just one of a number of measures used to protect the UK coast from possible environmental impacts of shipping in addition to existing protective measures. As a result of their identification, ships' mariners are expected to take note of MEHRAs and either to keep well clear or, where this is not practicable, to exercise an even higher degree of care than usual when passing through a MEHRA.
	The shipping industry will be made aware of the location of MEHRAs by means of markings on UK Hydrographic Office charts and through Marine Guidance Notices issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Marine Environment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what methods he will use to assess compliance with the new guidance for mariners on marine environmental high risk areas; and after what period of time he will assess the impact of the measure.

Stephen Ladyman: Marine environmental high risks areas are not intended as a mandatory compliance measure for mariners. They have been put in place to raise public awareness of the particular environmental sensitivity of these areas.
	Mariners will be expected in accordance with the Marine Guidance Note (to be issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency) to take note of MEHRAs and either to keep well clear or, where this is not practicable, to exercise an even higher degree of care than usual when passing through a MEHRA.

Marine Environment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many hours of surveillance the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has conducted in each year since 1997 as part of the attempt to prevent pollution.

Stephen Ladyman: The table shows the number of flying hours carried out for the purpose of detecting and deterring illegal marine pollution by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) contracted fixed wing surveillance aircraft, since 1997. Each yearly total includes 300 flying hours carried out on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), monitoring off-shore installation areas. This is in accordance with an extant MCA/DTI Operating Agreement.
	In recent years, surveillance flights have been better targeted, with night flying hours increased. For the past two years the aerial pollution monitoring flights have been augmented by an on-going, targeted satellite surveillance program.
	
		
			  Surveillance flight hours 
		
		
			 1997 925 
			 1998 925 
			 1999 925 
			 2000 900 
			 2001 900 
			 2002 900 
			 2003 850 
			 2004 805 
			 2005 805

Marine Environment

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) prosecutions and (b) successful prosecutions for pollution at sea there have been in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Individual harbour authorities prosecute pollution incidents within harbour authority limits, and the Department has no figures regarding the numbers of their prosecutions. Outside of those areas, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency deals with prosecutions. They have conducted the following numbers of prosecutions in respect of pollution at sea from ships under Merchant Shipping legislation:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 1 
			 1998 6 
			 1999 3 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 4 
		
	
	All of the prosecutions were successful.
	The Environment Agency also has powers to undertake prosecutions for pollution at sea from land-based sources, under the Water Resources Act 1991. However, the Environment Agency database shows only two marine incidents within this period where an offender has been identified and prosecution recommended, and both of these incidents occurred in harbours.

Network Rail

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) ships and (b) boats are owned by Network Rail; at what cost; and for what purpose they are maintained.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 6 March 2006
	This is an operational matter for Network Rail. I have asked Network Rail to reply directly to the right hon. Member.

North-east to South Transport Links

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken since 2001 to improve road and rail links from the North East to the South; and what further plans there are for such links.

Karen Buck: The Secretary of State for Transport through his Department, its agencies and with partners has delivered, and continues to develop, both road and rail projects to enhance the connectivity within and beyond the North East of England.
	In many cases, improvements to infrastructure elsewhere in the country will bring benefits to travellers to and from the North East. In terms of the national road network, table 1 following gives details of Highways Agency schemes in the Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI) while table 2 relates to projects under development. These tables concentrate on northsouth routes.
	
		Table 1targeted programme of improvements
		
			 Government office Targeted programme of improvements (TPI) scheme names Scheme category Scheme in preparation Scheme on site Scheme completed Date entered TPI Comments 
		
		
			 North East A1 WillowburnDenwick ImprovementY  Completed March 2003 
			 York and Humber A1(M) FerrybridgeHook Moor W  Y   Under construction 
			 York and Humber A1 (M) WetherbyWalshford W   Y  Completed August 2005 
			 East Midlands A1 PeterboroughBlyth GSJ J Y   Added to TPI March 2001  
			 York and Humber A1 Dishforth to Leeming W Y   Added to TPI June 2002  
			 York and Humber A1 BramhamWetherby (including Wetherby Bypass W Y   Added to TPI June 2002  
			 York and Humber A1 Leeming to Barton W Y   Added to TPI June 2002  
			 North East A1 Stannington Junction J   Y Added to TPI October 2002 Completed October 2004 
			 North East A1 MorpethFelton Dualling W Y   Added to TPI July 2003 Subject to regional priorities 
			 North East A1 AdderstoneBelford Dualling W Y   Added to TPI July 2003 Subject to regional priorities 
			 North East A1/A19/A1068 Seaton Burn Junction Improvement J Y   Added to TPI July 2003 Subject to regional priorities 
			 East Midlands M1 J19 J Y   Added to TPI February 2003  
			 East Midlands M1 J6A-10 Widening W Y   Added to TPI July 2003  
			 East Midlands M1 J1013 Widening W Y   Added to TPI July 2003  
			 East Midlands M1 J2130 W Y   Added to TPI 13 April 2004  
			 East Midlands M1 J3031 Widening W Y   Added to TPI 24 March 2005  
			 York and Humber M1 J3132 Widening W Y   Added to TPI 24 March 2005  
			 York and Humber M1 J3234S Widening W Y   Added to TPI 24 March 2005  
			 York and Humber M1 J34N-37 Widening W Y   Added to TPI 24 March 2005  
			 York and Humber M1 J3739 Widening W Y   Added to TPI 24 March 2005  
			 York and Humber M1 J3942 Widening W Y   Added to TPI 24 March 2005  
			 York and Humber M1 J3132 Northbound Collector/Distributor W Y   Added to TPI 24 March 2005  
			 North East A19/A184 Testos Grade Separated Junction J Y   Added to TPI July 2003 Subject to regional priorities 
		
	
	W = widening
	J = junction improvement
	
		Table 2schemes under development
		
			 Scheme name Government office Current position 
		
		
			 A1 Newcastle and Gateshead Western Bypass North East Work on identifying a suitable scheme, in association with regional partners, is progressing 
			 A1 West Mains to Bridge Mill Dualling North East Under development 
			 A19 Moor Farm Roundabout Improvement North East Subject to regional priorities 
			 A19/Coast Road Improvement North East Subject to regional priorities 
			 A1 Redhouseto Darrington Improvement Yorkshire and the Humber Subject to regional priorities 
			 A1(M)J35toJ38 Yorkshire and the Humber Subject to regional priorities 
			 A1 Jockey Lane Grade Separated Junction East Midlands Under development 
			 A1(M)J68 East Subject to regional priorities 
			 A1 BramptonAlconbury East Under development 
			 A1Sandy and Beeston Bypass East Subject to regional priorities 
		
	
	In respect of rail, this year the Government are spending 87 million every week to improve the railways. This commitment to our rail network is helping to bring in further substantial investment from the private sector. The Government are investing an unprecedented amount of money in the rail network to address decades of under-investment.
	In terms of specific rail activity, table 3 provides details of key improvements to both infrastructure and services since 2001 and plans currently under consideration.
	In addition, since 2001, over the five year life of the first Local Transport Plans the North East Local Authorities have received in excess of 500 million to invest in capital works in the region.
	
		Table 3rail
		
			  Key improvements/plans 
		
		
			 Services Currently half-hourly service from London to North East on the East Coast Main Line but, by Dec 2007, the new franchise requires GNER to put in 2 further services from Newcastle to London on Sundays. GNER have already put in place an hourly bus link between Darlington Station and Durham Tees Valley Airport. 
			 Infrastructure New infrastructure at Allington Chord was put in place to alleviate a bottleneck on the ECML and increase reliability and capacity of GNER services. 
			 In development Capacity pressures on cross-country services between WM, NE and SW are being examined as part of the re-franchising process. 
			  Future documents that will provide a picture of rail services in the NE and a framework for options for change includesECML Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS)RUS are Network Rail's examination of how to make best use of the capacity available on the route. ECML RUS currently being developed, and expected to be published later in the year.

Overground Train Services (London)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responsibility he has transferred to Transport for London for the (a) provision and (b) regulation of overground train services in London; and what plans he has to make further such transfers.

Karen Buck: Responsibility for the provision of the Silverlink Metro group of services will be transferred to Transport for London on 11 November 2007.
	Transport for London were passed the responsibility for taking forward the East London Line Extension in November 2004 and will be responsible for passenger services operating on this route, which are expected to begin in 200910.
	There are currently no plans to transfer further responsibilities on London rail services to Transport for London.

Parking (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much income was derived from parking by Peterborough city council in each year between 200203 and 200405; and how much of that income came from (a) charges and (b) penalties in each year.

Karen Buck: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 155W. Figures for 200203 and 200304 are in the Libraries of the House.

Railways

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers Transport for London has to amend (a) rail fares and (b) rail provision on trains (i) in and (ii) entering Greater London.

Karen Buck: Transport for London has no direct powers at present to amend rail fares on trains in London or entering Greater London other than through the joint setting of Travelcard fares with the Train Operating Companies and on some defined joint rail and London Underground routes within London.
	Transport for London has the ability to buy additional services or propose savings on National Rail franchised passenger services operating entirely within London, subject to affordability and network constraints. The Railways Act 2005 also allows TfL to enter into direct agreements with Train Operating Companies on minor increments to services that do not require a change to the franchise agreement.
	Transport for London has no powers to amend rail provision on services entering Greater London.

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the First Great Western Trains' December 2006 timetable consultation; and whether the Department intends to make a submission to the consultation.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport has received 290 submissions regarding First Great Western's 2006 timetable consultations. Officials will meet First Great Western management when consultation closes, to assess responses.

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the proposed termination at Cardiff of the 1515 First Great Western Trains service from London Paddington to Swansea.

Derek Twigg: Under the proposed December 2006 timetable for the Greater Western franchise, the 15.15 train from Paddington will terminate at Cardiff. The following 15.45 train will provide a Swansea arrival 26 minutes later than the present 15.15. The number of weekday trains from Paddington to Swansea will remain at 21, and the number of weekday trains from Swansea to Paddington will increase from 20 to 21.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department first became aware of a potential bid for London and Continental Railways.

Derek Twigg: The Department received a first indication of a possible approach on 19 January 2006. The Secretary of State reported this to Parliament on 14 February 2006 when it became clear that this interest was being actively pursued.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cycles have been taken on trains in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: This information is not collected centrally.

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to withdraw Pacer Unit rolling stock on Arriva Trains Wales services from Swansea.

Derek Twigg: The ATW franchise agreement has no specific requirement to replace rolling stock.

Railways

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the levels of overcrowding in peak hours were on train lines on each line and franchise in the West Midlands in each year since 199697;
	(2)  what measures (a) the Government, (b) Network Rail and (c) the Rail Regulator uses to assess train overcrowding in (i) the West Midlands area and (ii) lines not covered by the passengers in excess of capacity measure.

Derek Twigg: Crowding is measured on those services in the West Midlands which are specified by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (CENTRO) and operated by Central Trains. Central Trains count the number of passengers on each train serving Birmingham during the morning and evening peak on two occasions a year. Count data are available from 1999 onwards and the figures have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Franchises which are not covered by the Passengers in Excess of Capacity or Passenger Transport Executive capacity regimes are under a contractual obligation to plan their timetable in such a way as to manage passenger demand and prevent overcrowding being concentrated on one route.
	Network Rail is responsible for developing route utilisation strategies, which seek to balance capacity, passenger and freight demand, operational performance and cost. These strategies will then inform the development and delivery of timetables to address future passenger growth.

Road Safety

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made to reduce (a) serious accidents and (b) speeding on motorways and dual carriageways.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of serious personal injury road accidents on motorways and other dual carriageway roads in Great Britain has decreased year on year over the last five years. Casualty figures for 2004 show a 10 per cent. reduction in the number of serious accidents on motorways and a 21 per cent. reduction in the number of serious accidents on other dual carriageway roads, compared to the 199498 baseline averages. This is against a background of increases of 37 per cent. and 20 per cent. respectively in the total billion vehicle kilometres travelled on these roads in 2004, compared to in 1994.
	Driving in excess of the speed limit amongst car drivers on motorways and non-urban dual carriageways has remained largely constant over the last five years. In 2004, 56 per cent. of cars exceeded the speed limit on motorways, and 48 per cent. on non-urban dual carriageways.
	Tackling excessive speed on all roads is a priority for the Government and we work closely with the police to ensure the safe and reliable operation of Great Britain's strategic road networks. For example, the roll out of the Highways Agency Traffic Officer service across England's motorway network is enabling more police time and resources to be used on core police activities, including speed enforcement.

Roads (Gloucestershire)

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent assessment is of the volume of traffic flows on (a) the A40 between Gloucester and Highnam, (b) the A40 between Highnam and Huntley, (c) the A40 between Huntley and Ross-on-Wye, (d) the A48 between Highnam and Lydney, (e) the A48 between Lydney and Chepstow and (f) the A417 between Gloucester and junction 2 of the M50.

Stephen Ladyman: The average annual daily traffic flows on the lengths of trunk road specified are as follows:
	A40 Gloucester (A38 Junction)-Highnam: 20,700 (2004 figure)
	The latest available information for the A40 between Highnam and Ross-on-Wye is for 2002:
	A40 Highnam to Huntley: 26,100
	A40 Huntley to Ross-on-Wye: 15,200
	The A48 between Highnam and Chepstow was de-trunked with effect from 1 July 2005 and is now the responsibility of Gloucestershire county council. However, the latest figures prior to that date are for 2003:
	A48 Highnam to Lydney: 12,100
	A48 Lydney to Chepstow: 7,700
	The A417 between Gloucester and Junction 2 of the M50 has never been part of the trunk road network and the appropriate highway authority is Gloucestershire county council.

Rural Public Transport

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent to improve rural public transport in (a) Bath and North East Somerset and (b) South Gloucestershire in each of the last eight years.

Karen Buck: The statistics collected by the Government on actual council spend do not identify all council expenditure on rural public transport as a discrete item.
	The relevant funding allocated to Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils by the Department for Transport is shown in tables A and B (respectively). The revenue funding paid by the Department supplements the non-service specific financial support provided through revenue support grant. The integrated transport block can be spent on a variety of types of capital project, including related to rural public transport, according to the councils' local policies and priorities.
	
		Table A: Bath and North East Somerset council
		
			 000 
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Integrated Transport Block(5) (6) (6) 1,273 2,358 2,560 2,587 2,389 2,392 
			 Rural Bus Subsidy Grant(7) 140 140 140 179 205 209 217 225 
			 Rural Bus Challenge(7) 0 0 466 40 169 22 90 83 
		
	
	
		Table B: South Gloucestershire council
		
			 000 
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Integrated Transport Block(5) (6) (6) 1,430 2,368 2,570 2,406 5,267 3,515 
			 Rural Bus Subsidy Grant(7) 191 191 191 244 280 286 294 306 
			 Rural Bus Challenge(7) 182 249 557 80 379 513 119 0 
		
	
	(5) Capital.
	2 In 199899 and 19992000 the equivalent of the integrated transport block was a number of separate funding streams, none of which in these areas was targeted towards rural public transport.
	(6) Revenue.

Safety Cameras

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of static speed enforcement cameras in capturing speeding motorcyclists travelling (a) towards and (b) away from a static camera site.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of static speed enforcement cameras in capturing speeding motorcyclists travelling towards and away from a static camera site. The majority of static safety cameras photograph vehicle number plates from behind and in this respect motorcycles, which only have a licence plate on the back, are treated the same as other vehicles. As motorcycles do not have a front licence plate they cannot be registered by the small number of enforcement cameras that photograph vehicles from the front.

Transport Links (England and Wales)

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place for regular contact between his Department and the National Assembly Government to discuss the improvement and maintenance of transport links between England and Wales.

Karen Buck: The Department enjoys a good working relationship with the Welsh Assembly Government and my ministerial colleagues and I are always happy to meet our counterparts from the Assembly to discuss how transport links between Wales and England might be improved and maintained.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mental health professionals his Department has in place in Afghanistan to identify and treat service personnel.

Don Touhig: holding answer 6 March 2006
	The mental health care capability on Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan is currently fulfilled by Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPN) based in the UK and able to deploy at short notice.
	In order to support the increasing number of troops to be deployed on Operation HERRICK later this year, two CPNs will shortly be deployed in Afghanistan, consistent with the main deployment of British troops to the region.

Argentina

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions there have been between (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department with their Argentine counterparts.

John Reid: In the past year, there have been no contacts by UK Defence Ministers with their Argentine counterparts. However, during the Defence Staff Talks held in Buenos Aires in June 2005, senior Ministry of Defence officials met with the Argentine Deputy Defence Minister, Sr. Jaime Garreta. Officials within the MOD have regular contact with Argentine Defence Attaches based in London and, equally, UK Defence Attaches based in our Embassy in Buenos Aires liaise as necessary with Argentine defence officials at various levels in support of UK interests.

Argentina

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Royal Navy warships were in the vicinity when the British trawler John Cheek was impounded by Argentine coastguard forces; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: No Royal Navy warships were in the immediate vicinity of the Falkland Island's registered fishing vessel John Cheek when the fishing vessel was boarded by Argentine officials. The nearest warship would have been HMS Dumbarton Castle, which was on exercise off the Falklands Islands. Additionally, HMS Endurance was alongside in the Falkland Islands at the time.

Argentina

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the increase in the size of the Argentine air force; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We have no evidence that the Argentine air force has increased in size.

Argentina

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which an Argentine submarine was recently detected by the Royal Navy near South Georgia.

Adam Ingram: No Argentinean submarines have been seen or detected recently near South Georgia.

Army Deployments

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tours were undertaken by each regiment of (a) the Royal Logistics Corps, (b) Royal Corps of Signals and (c) Corps of Royal Engineers in the last five years; what the (i) location and (ii) length of each deployment was; and what the length of time between each deployment was for each regiment.

Adam Ingram: The location of deployments undertaken by elements of the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC), Royal Signals (R SIGNALS) and Royal Engineers (RE) over the past five years has been placed in the Library of the House. Such deployments are normally conducted at sub-unit level and below, and vary in duration and composition of personnel involved, some involving a number of short visits to theatre. While the length of time between such deployments (or 'Tour Intervals' (TI)) is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost, in general terms the average TI's for each Regiment is as follows:
	
		
			  Months 
		
		
			 RLC 29.3 
			 R SIGNALS 30.2 
			 RE 24.1 
		
	
	Of course, it is recognised that these are pinch point trades where the TI's are much shorter. Future Army structures will address these concerns by investing in trade groups that have been in high demand (such as engineers and logisticians), whilst restructuring the Army to better enable Brigade level operations, including ensuring that each deployable Brigade has its own integral enablers.

Departmental Energy Costs

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on (a) gas and (b) electricity in 200405.

Don Touhig: Expenditure on gas and electricity forms part of the utilities costs, which are disclosed at Note 3 within the published departmental resource accounts. A copy of the annual report and accounts for 200405 is available in the Library of the House.
	The following table details the total gas and electricity costs incurred by the Department in 200405.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 Gas 69 
			 Electricity 114

Departmental Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will break down the (a) main estimate, (b) winter supplementary estimate and (c) spring supplementary estimate Request for Resources 1 Annually Managed Expenditure provision by subhead in (i) near cash and non cash terms for financial years 19992000 to 200506;
	(2)  if he will break down the Request for Resources 1 Annually Managed Expenditure outturn by subhead in (i) near cash and (ii) non cash terms for financial years 19992000 to 200405;
	(3)  if he will break down the (a) main estimate, (b) winter supplementary estimate and (c) spring supplementary estimate Request for Resources 1 non-budget expenditure provision by subhead in (i) near cash and (ii) non cash terms for financial years 19992000 to 200506;
	(4)  if he will break down the Request for Resources 3 Annually Managed Expenditure outturn by subhead in (a) near cash and (b) non cash terms for financial years 200203 to 200405;
	(5)  if he will break down the Request for Resources 1 non-budget expenditure outturn by subhead in (a) near cash and (b) non cash terms for financial years 19992000 to 200405;
	(6)  if he will break down the (a) main estimate, (b) winter supplementary estimate and (c) spring supplementary estimate Request for Resources 3 Annual Managed Expenditure provision by subhead in (i) near cash and (ii) non-cash terms for financial years 2002 to 2005.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the British military base on Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: There are no plans to change Gibraltar's current military role, which centres on providing a forward mounting base and other facilities to support overseas operations. This role will continue to be kept under regular review.

Iraq

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British soldiers have been wounded in Iraq; how many were returned home as a result of their injuries; and whether his Department keeps records of their geographical location in the UK when they return.

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British (a) servicemen and (b) women have been very seriously injured in Iraq in each month since March 2003.

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in Iraq were wounded in (a) action and (b) accidents in each year since hostilities began, broken down by severity of injury.

John Reid: pursuant to the reply, 2 February 2006, Official Report, c. 7045W
	I stated that the number of military and civilian personnel medically evacuated from theatre was some 4,000. The answer should have said up to some 4,000.

Mental Health Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Department of Health to ensure that veterans have access to adequate mental health services on discharge.

Don Touhig: The formal framework for discussions between the two Departments is set out in a Concordat, first signed by my predecessor and his Department of Health (DH) counterpart in 2002, and revised in 2005 to include the other UK Health Authorities, which sets out how the Defence Medical Services and the NHS will work together to further their individual and mutual aims of delivering high quality healthcare to both the UK armed forces and NHS patients.
	A joint MOD/DH Partnership Board, co-chaired by senior MOD and DH personnel, meets three times a year to monitor the effectiveness of the Concordat and to explore mutual areas of co-operation. I am kept informed of the work of the Partnership Board. In 2005, the Partnership Board approved revised Health Guidance for the NHS covering, among other things, arrangements for the continuing care of service personnel on retirement or discharge from the armed forces. This guidance specifies that, for a very small group who have a significant and debilitating illness at the time of medical discharge, ;it is essential that the MOD is able to engage as soon as possible with the Primary Care Trust of future residence to ensure that there is a seamless transfer of care.
	The MOD has work in hand to ensure that there is a coherent response to veterans' mental health issues, co-ordinating inputs from the NHS, Health Departments throughout the UK, the Services and ex-Service organisations including the specialist mental health charity, Combat Stress. In support of these developments, MOD is also working on a number of in-Service initiatives, for example relating to the prevention and management of problems arising out of operational stress and to the need to address issues of stigma and discrimination.

Regimental Mascots

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of maintaining regimental (a) dogs, (b) goats and (c) other animal mascots was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department takes to maintain contact with veterans following discharge from service.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence is exceptional among employers in the extent to which it seeks to maintain contact with and offer support to those who have left service. The Veterans Agency is the focus for maintaining contact and provides a helpline service that offer advice or puts the veteran in touch with Government or non-Government agencies that can offer the assistance sought. Particular assistance is offered to those who are discharged for medical reasons and, where the condition is due to service, pensions may be payable from the War Pension Scheme and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme attributable pension; contact is maintained with the leaver to establish eligibility and to ensure that the appropriate payments are made. Those in receipt of a War Pension are provided with practical advice and assistance from the War Pensions Welfare Service.
	There are wider welfare arrangements in the event of death or serious injury and the Department also works closely with ex-Service organisations to support their work in providing assistance and advice to those who have left the armed forces, particularly where they have welfare needs. Assistance is provided to eligible Service personnel to identify employment opportunities after they have left the armed forces and this can be provided up to two years after discharge. More generally, we are proud of the achievements of our veterans and take a wide range of opportunities to celebrate their successes and to commemorate their sacrifices. We seek to involve veterans closely in these events.

Warships

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of warship numbers to meet the tasks of the Fleet.

Adam Ingram: The structure of the armed forces is reviewed on a continual basis; the current size and shape of the Royal Navy is adequate to meet all tasks, commitments and challenges of the foreseeable future. Our very considerable investment in new warship building will ensure this remains the case.

Widowed Service Pensioners

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many widowed service pensioners have made post-retirement marriages, broken down by constituency.

Don Touhig: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent by his Department on media training in each year since 199798.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, the Office has incurred no expenditure on media training.

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent devolution issues have been considered by the Advocate General.

David Cairns: Since 24 January, 86 devolution issues have been intimated to the Advocate General.

Queen's Birthday

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans his Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office will mark Her Majesty's 80th birthday by flying the Union flag and the Saltire from its buildings in London and Edinburgh.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Bureau International des Poids et Mesures

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the nature is of his Department's financial contribution to the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures; and if he will make a statement on the current programme of that institution.

Barry Gardiner: The DTI pays an annual dotation to the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). For 2006 this is 581,346.16 (848,309). The sum to be paid is set according to rules annexed to the Metre Convention of 1875 and is agreed by the General Conference on Weights and Measures which meets every four years, the last meeting being in 2003.
	The BIPM is the international body set up as a result of the Metre Convention with the aim of ensuring world-wide uniformity of measurements and their traceability to the International System of Units (SI). A significant part of its work is in supporting the Mutual Recognition Arrangementwhich allows for the international acceptance of measurement results which are traceable to National Standards.
	BIPM's scientific and technical programme provides it with the ability to carry out its role. It is published by the BIPM and is reported on annually in the Directors report. Significant features of the programme are: the responsibility to conserve and disseminate the primary standard of massthe international prototype of the kilogram; to establish and disseminate International Atomic Time (TAI) and Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC); and to provide unique facilities such as the International Reference System for radionuclides. Work is also carried out in a number of other aspects of metrology such as length and chemistry.

Centre of Ecology and Hydrology Research

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what audit the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) has conducted of the science delivery and management expertise at the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology research sites in the last five years; and whether the findings of these comply with NERC's scientific objectives.

Barry Gardiner: The performance of each of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) research and collaborative centres is evaluated in five-yearly Science and Management Audits (SMAs). SMAs scrutinise delivery over the previous five years of the science approved by NERC Council at the start of that five-year period. However, they do not examine proposals for future activity. NERC conducted an SMA of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in 2004. In 200405 and 200506 it also considered CEH's proposals for the period 200510 and NERC's Science and Innovation Strategy Board made funding recommendations to NERC Council based on the quality of these proposals, their fit to NERC's overall science strategy, and their priority relative to other funding proposals made to NERC.

Centre of Ecology and Hydrology Research

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many Institute for Scientific Information listed scientific publications were published in 200405 per scientific employee at the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology research sites; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list the scientific publications from the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology research sites in the last five years; and what assessment he has made of these;
	(3)  how many scientific papers on ecology have been published by (a) universities and (b) the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology research facilities since 2001.

Barry Gardiner: The Government are fully committed to maintaining the quality of environmental science in the UK and provide funding to the National Environment Research Council (NERC) for this purpose. NERC's science budget allocation has doubled since 1997 to 334 million for this year. NERC is currently considering the input from a wide consultation with stakeholders on proposals on how its Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) can best contribute on a sustainable basis to UK environmental science in the future.
	I have asked the Chief Executive of NERC to write to the hon. Member about his specific requests for information on publications.

Centre of Ecology and Hydrology Research

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessments the Natural Environment Research Council made of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology sites not chosen for closure; and if it will make its findings public.

Barry Gardiner: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) asked independent consultants to conduct a strategic review of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in 2005 so as to assist it in developing a business plan for the future of CEH. All the CEH sites were assessed against the same list of criteria, referred to in section 4.3 of the CEH Business Plan (available on the NERC website).

Centre of Ecology and Hydrology Research

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the National Environment Research Council will publish table 5a of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology business plan; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: A copy of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Business Plan is available on the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) website (http://www.nerc.ac.uk). NERC has not published specific aspects of the business plan that are commercial-in-confidence or relate to confidential peer review.

Defence Export Services Organisation

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many meetings officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Defence Export Services Organisation at the Ministry of Defence since 18 March 2003.

Malcolm Wicks: The Export Control Organisation (ECO) does not routinely collate information on the meetings it holds with other Government Departments (OGDs) and I am unable therefore to provide you with the precise number of meetings ECO officials have held with their MOD/DESO colleagues since 18 March 2003.
	ECO officials hold regular meetings with other Government Departments, including DESO, on a wide variety of business relating to export licence applications and export control policy.

Medical Research

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of moving the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill; and what discussions he has had with the Medical Research Council on the move;
	(2)  when he expects the move of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill to central London to take place; and when he expects the Gateway process on the move (a) to start and (b) to finish.

Barry Gardiner: My noble Friend Lord Sainsbury of Turville has been briefed by MRC's chief executive, Professor Colin Blakemore, on MRC's plans for moving the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). I have asked Professor Blakemore to write to the hon. Member with information on MRC's proposals.

Migrant Workers

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent steps he has undertaken to promote the rights of workers among migrant workers' groups.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We are aware that migrant workers arriving in the United Kingdom to work in a range of industries may face difficulties in understanding their rights. We have offered to work with the Governments of all the new EU member states, to prepare bi-lingual know before you go leaflets for migrant workers seeking temporary work, giving advice on questions to ask before leaving the country and on legal protections offered to workers including details of the national minimum wage and agricultural minimum wage and the relevant helpline numbers. It is particularly important to reach workers in the host country before they leave as it is often much harder to help workers, who may not speak English and have no accommodation arranged, once they arrive.
	To date we have produced leaflets in partnership with the Portuguese, Polish and Lithuanian Governments and are still in talks with other Governments. These benefited from input from the TUC, the CBI and other stakeholders and have been distributed widely in both the workers' home countries and the UK, for example via Citizen's Advice Bureaux. In Poland, for example, they have been publicised on television and our embassy and the Polish authorities have worked hard to distribute them via job centres, recruitment fairs and other channels. The text of the leaflets is also available on the DTI website:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/er/agency/migrant_workers.htm
	We are currently updating the three leaflets to ensure they contain up to date information on, for example, national minimum wage rates.
	HMRC enforce the national minimum wage on behalf of the DTI. Each month HMRC select a sample of employers with workers from the new European Union accession countries who have registered under the Workers Registration Scheme. These employers are inspected to ensure that they are complying with the requirements of the national minimum wage legislation.
	The Home Office also provide information to workers from EU accession countries. Nationals of the new member states (except Cyprus and Malta) working in the UK are subject to the Worker Registration Scheme. When subject to the scheme, they need to register with the Home Office if they plan to work for more than one month for an employer in the UK. Workers subject to registering with the Worker Registration Scheme receive information on employment rights as a matter of course. A leaflet setting out the rights and responsibilities of nationals from the new member states is available on the Home Office website:
	http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_ uk/en/homepage/schemes_and_programmes/worker_re gistration.Maincontent.0003.file.tmp/Home%20Office%20 WRS%2020pp%PROOF.pdf
	The Government's decision that nationals from these countries should have, subject to the registration requirements of the Worker Registration Scheme, access to the labour market and freedom to change employers should mean that they are significantly less vulnerable to exploitation than they were previously.

Migrant Workers

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration he has given to the establishment of a migrant workers' helpline by his Department to report (a) poor working conditions and (b) worker intimidation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) provide information on general employment rights and contractual matters and operate a helpline on 08457 474747.
	The HMRC's national minimum wage helpline number is 0845 6000 678.
	The DTIs Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate which is responsible for enforcing the legislation governing the private recruitment industry, operate a helpline where workers can seek advice and/or register complaints concerning the conduct of an employment agency or employment business. Complaints can be taken in confidence. I would always encourage anyone who has a problem with an agency or employment business to contact the helpline on 0845 955 5105.
	However, a DTI run project is currently underway, which will review the range of government funded helplines for employees, with a view to identifying areas where the existing provision might be consolidated, providing clarity and improved service for users.

Mines Rescue Service

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) a mines rescue service is maintained and (b) its skills and technology are used by other emergency services.

Malcolm Wicks: Mines Rescue Service Ltd. (MRS Ltd.) is, at present, the provider of the services required under the statutory Mines Rescue Scheme. Although MRS Ltd. is a not for profit, private-sector company in which the Government have no locus, the Coal Authority (a DTI-sponsored NDPB) has provided it with financial support over the last two years utilising unexpected gains from the sale of property inherited from British Coal. In the absence of further similar windfall receipts, it remains the responsibility of deep-mine coal operators to fund the service in accordance with the terms of the statutory scheme. I understand that MRS Ltd. has already been very successful in marketing its particular expertise and experience among the recognised emergency services and elsewhere.

Mobile Phone Intercepts

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures he is taking to ensure that mobile phone tracking by individuals is properly regulated.

Alun Michael: The Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive (2002/58/EC) applies a number of privacy safeguards to value added services based on traffic and location data, including a requirement for informed consent from subscribers or users of the communications service involved. In the case of location data services, there is a requirement that subscribers or users must be able to withdraw their consent on a temporary as well as a long term basis, each time they connect to the network or make a phone call or other form of communication. The Directive was implemented in the UK by the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, which came into force on 11 December 2003.
	Mobile phone location services are regulated under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 and the Data Protection Act 1998. Enforcement is the responsibility of the Information Commissioner.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether medical research carried out by the National Institute for Medical Research on the H5N1 avian influenza virus from infected humans needs to be conducted in category 4 containment facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The regulations of the Health and Safety Executive and the advice of the Advisory Committee on dangerous pathogens are the first point of reference in making decisions about the appropriate containment level required for research with a pathogen. The specific advice contained in the HSE's Advice on Working with Influenza Viruses is that H5N1 should be handled in containment level 3.

Natural Environment Research Council

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria were used by the Natural Environment Research Council in its decision to close Centre for Ecology and Hydrology research facilities; and what assessment he has made of this.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC science budget allocation has doubled since 1997 to 334 million for this year, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the quality of environmental research in the UK. NERC is responsible for determining the details of how this funding is allocated to specific activities. NERC is currently considering the input from a wide consultation with stakeholders on proposals on how best CEH can contribute on a sustainable basis to UK environmental science in the future.
	NERC has set out the criteria used in developing the proposals in the CEH Business Plan (available on the NERC website). The proposals were informed by assessments by an international peer review and a moderating panel, leading to recommendations to NERC Council from NERC's Science and Innovation Strategy Board. This included assessment of the science quality, value for money and the fit of the CEH science proposal to NERC's strategy. In addition, there was input from a strategic review of CEH conducted by independent consultants in 2005, which enabled NERC to estimate the likely level of future commissioned research income that CEH could expect to win. NERC also factored in the necessary level of future investment in the facilities for the research carried out by CEH.

Newton's Apple Tree

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated (a) value and (b) maintenance cost is of Newton's Apple Tree at the National Physics Laboratory; what right of public access to it exists; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: As a non-operational heritage asset, Newton's Apple Tree at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is not valued on the Department's balance sheet. Its maintenance costs are not separately identifiable from the general grounds maintenance costs at the Laboratory.
	The tree was presented to NPL in 1953 by the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and is derived from a graft from an old tree at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton and where, according to tradition, Newton was inspired by a falling apple in developing his theory of gravitation. The tree at NPL is one of a number of similar descendants around the world. Public access to this tree is not possible but a similar, and perhaps more directly related, tree can be seen at Woolsthorpe Manor, which is in the care of the National Trust.

Post Offices

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether the European Commission has (a) imposed and (b) indicated that it will impose any restrictions or conditions on the disbursement of subsidies to (i) rural and (ii) other post offices;
	(2)  whether the European Commission has imposed limits on the amount of subsidy his Department may pay to Post Offices Limited in respect of support for (a) rural and (b) other post offices in any one year.

Barry Gardiner: The European Commission has approved the Department's support of no more than 150 million per annum, to support non-commercial rural post offices, for the financial years 200607 and 200708. Post Office Limited uses this support to cover such costs as sub-postmasters' fixed pay, cash distribution and information technology. European Commission Decision N 784/2002 also allowed for support to POL to cover cash outflows until financial year 200607.

Satellite Licences

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the nature is of his Department's contingent liabilities pertaining to the issue of licences to operators of satellites and other space objects; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Under UN Treaties, the Government are internationally responsible for activities in outer space carried on by its nationals, and assumes certain liabilities for damage caused to third parties as a result of those activities. The Department administers the Outer Space Act 1986, which requires that such space activities be licensed. Anyone who carries on a licensable activity gives an unlimited indemnity to the Government against claims. The Department seeks to secure indemnification in part by requiring 100 million insurance cover. If the insurance policy proved insufficient to cover a particular claim, the licensee would be required to indemnify the Government of the excess. However, if the licensee were unable to meet this, the Government would have to fund the remainder from its own resources. Hence, there is a contingent liability.

Shareholder Executive

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the activities for which the Shareholder Executive has obtained external financial advice; on what matters the company provided advice on each occasion; and what fees were paid in each case.

Barry Gardiner: The Shareholder Executive advises a number of different ministers on their shareholdings. Those Ministers retain responsibility for all aspects of the shareholdings.
	Since the Shareholder Executive's transfer to the DTI in June 2004, the following advisers have been engaged on the businesses in its portfolio for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has responsibility:
	Royal Mail Holdings plc: Deloitte, CSFB, Strategia. All provided financial advice relating to Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd.'s financial performance and future funding requirements.
	British Energy Group plc: CSFB, Deloitte. Both provided financial advice relating to the British Energy restructuring.
	British Nuclear Fuels plc: Deloittegeneral accountancy advice.
	In addition the Shareholder Executive obtained advice from McKinsey and Company in relation to the development of its economic profit methodology.
	The total amount spent on these advisors from June 2004 to February 2006 is 8,308,008. Amounts paid to individual advisors are commercially confidential to the Department and the relevant adviser.

Shareholder Executive

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements are in place to prevent conflicts of interest in cases of (a) asset sales and (b) financial restructuring for which the Shareholder Executive seeks external advice.

Barry Gardiner: As pat of any appointment process, external advisors are required to confirm that they have no actual or perceived conflict of interest in relation to the proposed project.

Telephone Hotlines

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from consumer groups on the use of premium rate telephone numbers for telephone hotlines.

Alun Michael: This Department has received no such representations. Premium Rate Services are regulated by the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS). ICSTIS is in constant dialogue with consumer groups on premium rate issues through consultation processes. ICSTIS has had no specific representations about hotlines.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Telephone Numbers

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by her Department.

Richard Caborn: My Department does not administer any 0800, 0845 or 0870 numbers for the public.

TREASURY

Burma

Vera Baird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of Burmese gems imported in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows.
	
		Value of gems imported from Burma 200105
		
			  Value () 
		
		
			 2001 0 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 623 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Value declared in 2005 was in the category of 'Precious stones (o/t) diamonds and semi-precious stones not strung, mounted or setunworked, simply sawn or roughly shaped'.
	2. Declarations below a value of 600 are recorded in a separate low value' commodity code.
	Source:
	HM Revenue and Customs, Overseas Trade Statistics

Cancer

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) contraction and (b) death rates were for (i) breast cancer, (ii) lung cancer and (iii) prostate cancer in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 7 March 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what the (a) contraction and (b) death rates were for (i) breast cancer, (ii) lung cancer and (iii) prostate cancer in the last year for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (56592)
	The most recent available information is on registration of newly diagnosed cases (incidence) and mortality for the years 2003 and 2004, respectively. Age-standardised incidence and mortality rates (directly standardised to the European standard population) are given in the table below for selected cancers in England, 20032004.
	
		Directly age-standardised incidence and mortality rates per 100,000 population(7) for selected cancers(8), England, 20032004
		
			  Incidence Mortality(9)(5508890010) 
			 Cancer type/sex 2003 2004 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Breast 
			 F 120.8  29.2 28.4 
			  
			 Lung 
			 M 59.3  53.7 51.7 
			 F 33.4  28.5 28.2 
			 P(11) 44.6  39.3 38.3 
			  
			 Prostate 
			 M 91.1  27.1 26.4 
		
	
	(7) Rate per 100,000 standardised to the European standard population.
	(8) Defined by codes in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10). In this table lung cancer is taken to be code C34, breast cancer C50 and prostate cancer C61. Deaths were selected using the original underlying cause.
	(9) Residents of England at time of death.
	(10) Figures are based on occurrences of death in each calendar year.
	(11) Personsthe calculated total rate for both males and females.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Child Benefit

Stephen Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the percentage of those entitled to claim child benefit who do not do so and (b) the amount that went unclaimed in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Precise figures are not available, but it is estimated that approximately 2 per cent. of families although entitled, do not claim child benefit.
	There are no estimates available for the amount that went unclaimed in each of the last five years.

Commercial Waste

Paul Keetch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider awarding extra funding to local authorities to collect and recycle commercial waste.

John Healey: The Government are currently consulting on their Review of Waste Strategy. Decisions on waste spending will be taken in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2007.

Cot Death

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many post-neonatal babies died from cot death in the period covered by the most recent statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics; and how many such deaths would have been recorded in that period if the rate for post-neonatal first babies inside marriage were applied to all post-neonatal babies.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 7 March 2006
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question on how many postneonatal babies died from cot death in the period covered by the most recent statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics; and how many such babies would have died in that period if the rate for postneonatal first babies inside marriage was applied to all postneonatal babies. I am replying in her absence. (56731)
	Available figures on cot deaths are based on a mention of sudden infant death, cot death, sudden infant death syndrome or some other similar term on the death certificate. This figure is referred to as sudden infant deaths in routine publications.
	In 2004 (the latest year for which provisional figures are available) there were 149 sudden infant deaths in the postneonatal period in England and Wales (0.23 deaths per 1,000 live births). Seven of these were among first babies born inside marriage (0.05 deaths per 1,000 live births). If this rate had applied to all live births in 2004, then 29 babies would have died from sudden infant deaths in the postneonatal period.

Diamonds

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the proportion of diamonds sold in the UK in each of the last five years for which such estimates are available which were smuggled and (b) the consequent cost to the economy of the UK in lost tax revenues.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs do not produce estimates in relation to the smuggling of diamonds. Their report Measuring Indirect Tax Losses, available on their website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2005/index.htm provides estimates of indirect tax losses arising from fraud, avoidance and other forms of non-compliance but does not provide specific information on the trade in diamonds.

Euro

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's plan on preparing for the introduction of the euro;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's high level plan for the introduction of the euro.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency does not have a separate euro preparations plan. Their planning is included in the strategy for HM Revenue and Customs as a whole.

Government Liablities

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the Government's liability arising from schemes under (a) the private finance initiative, (b) public sector pension provision and (c) other contingent liabilities which do not appear on the Government's balance sheet in each year since 1997.

Des Browne: The information is as follows.
	(a) The estimated Government liability arising from both previous and future PFI projects is publicly available information. This data can be found in previous Budget publications (available online at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk).
	(b) The chief secretary explained the latest position on public sector pension liabilities in his answer to the oral question from Mr. Philip Dunne (4130 05/06), answered on the 2 March and placed a paper in the House of Commons Library the same day providing a full explanation of the latest estimate.
	(c) Each year estimates of Government's contingent liabilities are provided in resource accounts.

Household Repairs (VAT)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to incentivise property owners and landlords to (a) return existing properties to housing use and (b) improve the quality of private housing stock by (i) reducing and (ii) removing VAT on household repairs.

Dawn Primarolo: We keep under review the use of reduced rates for construction work where these could help support regeneration and renewal, and to date have targeted relief at areas of specific need, such as certain residential conversions (including converting a non-residential property into single household dwellings or converting a house into flats) and the renovation of housing that has been empty for more than three years. These measures have helped bring vacant homes back into use and create new homes through better use of the UK's existing housing stock. However, a blanket reduced rate for all household repairs is unlikely to be an efficient or well-targeted use of resources.
	While agreements with our European partners allow us to keep our zero rates as they currently stand, we cannot extend them or introduce new ones.

Income Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimated revenue would be raised by increasing the rate of basic rate income tax by one per cent.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is available in Table 4 'Direct effects of illustrative changes in income tax from the publication Tax ready reckoner and tax reliefs, December 2005', which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the HMT website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/fa1/96/pbr05 taxreadyreckoner 223.pdf

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on which dates he visited British soldiers injured in Iraq; and what locations were visited.

Gordon Brown: I regularly meet members of the armed forces, veterans and their families on my visits around the UK and in my constituency.

Leases

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the proposed legislation governing the tax treatment of leases on (a) leasing, (b) the wider financial services industry and (c) small and medium-sized enterprises;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the proposed legislation governing the tax treatment of leases on future levels of business investment;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the proposed legislation governing the tax treatment of leases on the (a) road haulage, (b) shipping, (c) railways, (d) manufacturing and (e) air travel and freight industry.

Dawn Primarolo: An assessment of the likely impact of the proposals to reform the taxation of leased plant and machinery is contained in a partial regulatory impact assessment (RIA), available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/leasing-reform.pdf.
	A final RIA, with a full assessment of these issues, will be published with legislation, following the Chancellor's Budget statement.

Local Authority Car Parks

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to appeal the tribunal decision that four local authorities were not liable for VAT on car parking revenues.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the VAT status of local authority car parks following recent tribunal rulings.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs are currently considering the implications of the decision of the VAT and Duties Tribunal in the case of Isle of Wight council.

Ms Susan Johnston

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter to him dated 16 January 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms Susan Johnston.

Dawn Primarolo: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

National Asset Register

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the next version of the National Asset Register.

Des Browne: The Government are planning to publish the next version of the National Asset Register in time to inform the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

NHS Trusts (Arrears)

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an estimate of aggregate arrears of pay as you earn and national insurance payments due from NHS trusts to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs as at (a) 20 October 2005 and (b) 20 October 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: Employers are monitored when they fall into arrears. However, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs monitors employer's payment performance by value of amount due, rather than by category of business. Information on the arrears of PAYE and National Insurance Contributions for a particular category of employer is not held at national level and in view of this it is not possible to make an estimate.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice his Department issues to PAYE defaulters who have failed to make payments due to technical faults with computer systems on the action necessary to rectify the faults.

Dawn Primarolo: The advice given will depend on the nature of the technical fault. In general terms Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) communicates with employers through a wide variety of media including publications issued by HMRC and publications issued by external organisations to which HMRC is invited to contribute. In addition, extensive guidance and educational material is available through the HMRC internet site. HMRC gives advice through forums such as Working Together and the Employer Umbrella Group.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which countries the Inland Revenue has advised on setting up and running a computer system similar to the one used for PAYE contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has not advised any countries on setting up and running computer systems similar to those that support PAYE.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many legal actions were taken by the Inland Revenue due to PAYE infringement in each year from 200001 to 200304.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on how many legal actions were taken by the Inland Revenue due to PAYE infringement is not available. The Department records the number of legal actions taken but this is not broken down into the different tax regimes.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total amount of PAYE which was due but was not collected in each year from 200001 to 200304.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available for 200001 and 200102. The Inland Revenue accounting year ran to the end of October each year and the figures available for uncollected tax represented net tax charged but not paid as a snapshot view at the accounting date. This did not include PAYE as the liability is only finally established after the end of the financial year. The figures for 200203 and 200304 as follows are a snapshot at 31 March each year, and include estimates of monthly PAYE arrears.
	
		 billion
		
			  
		
		
			 200203 4.9 
			 200304 5.2 
		
	
	The vast majority of this is paid within a few days of becoming due.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many major computer upgrades have been carried out on the PAYE computer system in the last five years; and what the cost was in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: PAYE has developed over the years and does not have one computer system, but rather a number of systems that process, hold and support PAYE data. Enhancements have been made to these systems over the last five years, and there is currently one ongoing major upgrade to the PAYE computer support for electronic filing of employer end of year returns. This is the modernising PAYE processes for customers (MPPC) programme. In 200304 and 200405 approximately 27.5 million and 38 million was spent by the project.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were liable for PAYE payments in the UK in (a) 200304 and (b) 200405.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of taxpayers with employment income in 200304 is estimated at around 22 million. The total number of people with tax deducted under PAYE will be higher than this as some people may have worked for only part of the year and been entitled to a repayment of tax as their incomes for the year as a whole were below the tax threshold. This figure excludes people with personal and occupational pensions from which income tax is also deducted under PAYE.
	This estimate is based on the latest available year of the Survey of Personal incomes.

Post Office Card Account

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people use the Post Office Card Account for the payment of tax credits or other payments administered by his Department, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 1 March 2006
	In February there were around 141,000 tax credits claims where payments were made via a Post Office Card Account. Information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
	For total numbers of child benefit recipients, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 24 January 2006, Official Report, column 2047W. I am arranging for a break down by parliamentary constituency to be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Social Exclusion

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding streams his Department plans to finance directly in 200607 to tackle social exclusion.

John Healey: Social exclusion is a problem with many dimensions, which is recognised and prioritised in the Treasury's objectives and closely linked to other aspects of the department's work. Treasury objective 2 is to increase the productivity of the economy and expand economic and employment opportunities for all; Treasury objective 4 is to promote a fair, efficient and integrated tax and benefit system with incentives to work, save and invest. The work of many of the Treasury's teams contributes towards these objectives, working with other Departments where appropriate. For example, the Treasury established the Financial Inclusion Taskforce to increase access to banking, affordable credit and face-to-face money advice. The Treasury's 200607 budget includes 1 million to fund the work of the taskforce and the Treasury team supporting it.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much is expected to be saved as a result of meeting the Civil Service workforce reductions targets for his Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review; and whether these savings count towards the agreed efficiency target for his Department set out in the Review.

Des Browne: The information requested is as follows.
	Treasury Group, HMRC and ONS
	The required information is contained within the relevant Efficiency Technical Notes available on http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk, http://www.hmrc.gov.uk, http://www.statistics.gov.uk, and search for 'Efficiency Technical Note').
	GAD
	GAD was not set workforce reduction targets.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the agreed efficiency target for his Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review is to be cashable; and under what budget headings these cashable efficiency savings will be re-spent.

Des Browne: The information is as follows:
	Treasury Group
	The Treasury has committed to achieving efficiencies of 11.9 million per annum by 200708. All planned savings are cashable and recycled to new policy priorities.
	The DMO has committed to achieving efficiencies of 1.0 million per annum by 200708. Of this total, cashable savings represent 0.7 million. The savings will be spent over a variety of budget headings focused mainly on maintaining and, where appropriate, enhancing the DMO's operational capability and risk management processes.
	OGC is committed to achieving annual efficiency savings of 4 million by 200708. Of these savings at least 60 per cent. will be cashable. OGC buying solutions has committed to achieving efficiencies of 1.8 million by 200708, of which cashable savings represents 0.9 million. The savings will be invested in increasing front line procurement delivery to support the commodity procurement work stream.
	HMRC, ONS and GAD
	Please see our Efficiency Technical Notes (available on http://www.hmrc.gov.uk, http://www.statistics.gov.uk, and search for 'Efficiency Technical Note' and on http://www.gad.gov.uk/Publications/Departmental%20Reports.htm).

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the target level of employment expressed as full-time equivalents is in his Department by April 2008, in order to meet his Department's civil service work force reductions target set out in the 2004 Spending Review.

Des Browne: The information is as follows:
	Treasury Group
	The 1 April 2004 baseline for core Treasury full-time equivalent staff is 1,243. This includes 150 full time equivalent posts transferred from HM Revenue and Customs as a result of the O'Donnell Review and 39 full time equivalents on paid secondments, maternity leave, training and long term sickness.
	With a target reduction of 150 full time equivalent staff over the 2004 Spending Review period, this gives a target level of employment in April 2008 of 1,093 full-time equivalents for core Treasury. The work force reductions target for the Treasury Group will be met by core Treasury.
	HMRC, ONS and GAD
	Please see our Efficiency Technical Notes (available on http://www.hmrc.gov.uk, http://www.statistics.gov.uk, and search for 'Efficiency Technical Note').
	GAD
	GAD was not set work force reduction targets.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what total efficiency savings were achieved by his Department in 200405; and whether these count towards the agreed efficiency target for his Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review.

John Healey: Information for the Treasury Group is reported in the 2005 Departmental Report (available at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk).
	Efficiency targets for HMRC, ONS and GAD are planned over three years from 200506 to 200708, details of which are set out in their departmental reports and efficiency technical notes (available on http:// www.hmrc.gov.uk; http://www.statistics.gov.uk; and on http://www.gad.gov.uk/Publications/Departmental%20Reports.htm).
	The first year in which efficiencies are expected to be achieved under their efficiency programmes is therefore 200506.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what baseline figures he is using for assessing progress on his Department's targets to (a) develop electronic channels, (b) rationalise back office functions, (c) improve procurement and (d) exploit the opportunities to achieve efficiencies generated by the creation of HM Revenue and Customs; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets.

Des Browne: Relevant information can be found in HM Treasury's Efficiency Technical Note (available on http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk, and search for 'Efficiency Technical Note') and our 2005 Autumn Performance Report (search for 'Autumn Performance Report'). Treasury does not break down its efficiency programme in exactly this way.
	HMRC
	Please see our Efficiency Technical Note (available on http://www.hmrc.gov.uk, and search for 'Efficiency Technical Note') and our 2005 Departmental Report (search for 'Departmental Report').
	ONS
	ONS's efficiency target of 25 million is against a 200405 baseline of 177 million.
	This includes:
	rationalisation of back office functions, contributing some 20 per cent. of the total savings (5 million); estimated efficiencies to date amount to 2 million;
	procurement efficiencies, including the use of cross-government IT services, contributing some 10 per cent. of the total savings (2.5 million); estimated efficiencies to date amount to 2 million.
	GAD
	GAD were set a baseline target of 125,000 for Efficiency Gains over 200508. These are broken down as follows:
	(a) Electronic channelsnot applicable
	(b) Productive time41,000 (efficiencies to date amount to 13,000)
	(c) Procurement52,000 (efficiencies to date amount to 89,000)
	(d) not applicable
	(e) Policy (Client Liaison function)32,000 (efficiencies to date amount to36,000).

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what interim targets he has set for achieving (a) the agreed efficiency target for his Department and (b) the civil service work force reductions targets for (i) gross reductions in posts, (ii) net reductions in posts and (iii) relocations for his Department, as set out in the 2004 Spending Review; what the baseline figures are against which these interim targets are assessed; on what dates they will take effect; and by what dates these interim targets are intended to be met.

Des Browne: The information requested is as follows:
	Treasury Group
	The 2004 Spending Review efficiency targets are to be achieved by 31 March 2008 (and relocations by 2010) and there are no interim targets for the programme as a whole. Treasury Group (core Treasury, the Office for Government Commerce and the Debt Management Office) monitors progress trajectories against its targets and reports on progress in the Departmental and Autumn Performance Reports, but has no formal interim targets.
	HMRC
	Please see our Efficiency Technical Note (available on http://www.hmrc.gov.uk, and search for 'Efficiency Technical Note')
	ONS
	No interim targets were set for ONS. The Department has, however, identified key milestones against which progress against targets can be monitored.
	GAD
	GAD has achieved the Efficiency Gains required for 200506 and has exceeded them.
	GAD has not been set any headcount reduction or relocation targets.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made by HM Revenue and Customs in introducing more rigorous checks on changes of circumstance notified to the Tax Credit Office (a) by post, (b) by telephone and (c) by internet; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has a range of measures in place to combat non-compliance which are kept under review. All reported changes to circumstances are risk assessed and where appropriate are considered for further examination by HMRC's compliance teams, along with direct referrals from staff who suspect a reported change. Where non-compliance is discovered HMRC have a number of measures available to them including prosecution under the new law of tax credit fraud.

Tax Credits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of tax credit claimants affected by technical issues preventing (a) automatic payments being made into bank accounts and (b) cheques being posted to 200405 tax year accounts;
	(2)  when the technical issues preventing the (a) posting of cash cheques to correct tax year accounts and (b) automatic payment of tax credits to claimants' bank accounts were first identified; what steps are being taken to resolve them; what assessment he has made of (i) when they will be corrected and (ii) the cost of correcting them; whether the cost of correcting them will be met from public funds; and what assessment he has made of the impact of these technical issues on the ability of HM Revenue and Customs to resolve disputes with claimants.

Dawn Primarolo: There are around 21,500 tax credits claimants currently receiving regular manual payments instead of automatic payments (whether BACS or cheques). This represents around 0.35 per cent. of tax credits claimants.
	At the end of February there were around 24,000 individual cheque encashments on the 200405 worklist that had not been posted to the taxpayers records.
	HMRC are working hard to improve administration, address technical issues and minimise impact on taxpayers.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the most recent available drafts of (a) a tax credit award notice, (b) a tax credit overpayment notification letter, (c) an end of year renewals form and (d) Code of Practice 26.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 27 February 2006
	Copies of the tax credit award notices that will be issued to claimants from 6 April onwards have been placed in the Library. A new version of COP 26 will be published in April. HMRC is currently consulting on a revised version, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Paymaster General's evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, 1 February 2006, question 307, what the cost is of extending additional payments of tax credits for claimants who are in hardship and who have suffered a reduction of regular payments due to their income rising by more than 2,500.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 27 February 2006
	There is no net cost. There will be a cash flow effect as additional payments will reduce the rate at which overpayments are recovered. The size of this effect will depend on the level of additional payments which results from the changes but it is likely to be small.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many TC610 Notice to Pay forms were issued in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The information requested is:
	
		TC610s issued
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			 200304 0 
			 200405 1,025 
			 200506 1,451

Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1397W, on tax credits, how many claims were not decided within 30 days; and what the (a) average and (b) longest time taken was to decide one of those claims.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has service delivery agreement targets for deciding tax credit claims within five working days and 30 working days and reports progress against those targets in its annual report. It reported that, for 200405, 95.9 per cent. of all new claims, renewals and changes of circumstances were decided within 30 working days of receipt, therefore 4.1 per cent. of new claims, renewals and changes of circumstances were decided outside 30 days.
	The information requested at (a) and (b) is not available.

Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2006, Official Report, column 1397W, on tax credits, how many families were sent more than one tax credit entitlement notice in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.
	However, the great majority of families receiving tax credits will have received more than one award notice in any given year, as couples receive individual notices and notices are issued when the award is renewed and each time there is a household change of circumstances in keeping with the principle of independent taxation.

Tax Credits

Michael Wills: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has evaluated on the effects of tax credits on incentives to work.

Dawn Primarolo: The Institute for Fiscal Studies were commissioned to evaluate the impact of the working families' tax credit. In the final evaluation, which was produced in 2005, they found that working families' tax credit had increased labour supply of lone mothers by around 5 percentage points and had a broadly neutral effect on the employment of couple families, compared with family credit, which preceded it.
	These results are consistent with other independent research.

Tax Credits

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit overpayments have been written off (a) in part and (b) in full in respect of residents of Milton Keynes since tax credits were introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: This information requested is not available at constituency level and in the format requested.

Tax Credits

Adam Holloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the tax credits available to businesses investing in research and development in each year since 1997.

John Healey: Research and Development (RD) tax credits have been available from 1 April 2000 for companies that are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). They became available for large companies from 1 April 2002. Since 22 April 2003 Vaccines Research Relief has also been available for companies undertaking RD into certain medicines and vaccines.

Tax Credits

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the administration of tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: Treasury Ministers have received a number of representations on various aspects of the administration of the tax credits system and I have reported regularly to the House on its operation.

Tax Credits

Mark Durkan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the location is of each tax credits office assigned to deal with the tax credit claims of Northern Ireland residents working (a) in the Republic of Ireland and (b) within Northern Ireland.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax credit claims from Northern Ireland residents working in the Republic of Ireland are dealt with in Belfast. Claims from Northern Ireland residents working within Northern Ireland may be dealt with by tax credit offices in Belfast, Preston or Liverpool.

Tax Returns

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Northern Ireland he estimates have completed their Inland Revenue annual returns via the internet in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 3 March 2006
	The available information does not separate returns from individuals filed over the internet from those submitted by their agents. Nor can HM Revenue and Customs separate returns made to Northern Ireland offices by Northern Ireland residents from those resident in the rest of the UK. The number of returns filed electronically in Northern Ireland for the current year and the previous two years is as follows. (Earlier years' figures are not readily available):
	
		
			 Return year Year submitted Total 
		
		
			 200303 200304 19,643 
			 200304 200405 31,187 
			 200405 200506 52,565

Taxation (Northern Ireland)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Northern Ireland residents work in the Republic of Ireland and are liable for double taxation by the Inland Revenue.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Taxation (Northern Ireland)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to put in place a scheme for residents of Northern Ireland equivalent to that which the Irish Government operates for special tax relief for Southern residents who work across the border in Northern Ireland.

Dawn Primarolo: There is a double taxation agreement between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom to resolve double taxation issues.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 1035W, to the hon. Member for Meriden on the Valuation Office Agency, whether the Aspire/GapGemini contract with HM Revenue and Customs (a) allows and (b) includes provision for electronic image management and archiving.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency acquires its IT services from CapGemini through the HMRC Aspire contract. This contract enables provision of a wide range of IT services both existing at the date of contract (1 July 2004) and new services specified since. Electronic image management is provided through a bespoke application. There is no requirement for archiving of photographs.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, column 1035W to the hon. Member for Meriden, on the Valuation Office Agency, if he will place in the Library copies of the e-learning documents relating to council tax valuations on a DVD or equivalent electronic media.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency's council tax manual, and instructions and advice documents to staff, on which the e-learning packages are based, are available on the Agency's website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk.

VAT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was foregone under the VAT zero-rate on the construction of new dwellings in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is given in table 6 of the Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs, which can be found at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk and is published annually alongside the pre-Budget report.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airguns

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of an offence involving misuse of an airgun against an animal in 2005, broken down by constituency.

Fiona Mactaggart: It is not possible, from the court proceedings data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, to identify offences involving the misuse of an airgun against an animal as there is no specific offence that covers this.

Charities Bill

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charities he estimates will be excepted from a requirement to register with the Charity Commission under the proposals in the Charities Bill as introduced (a) in the House of Lords and (b) in this House.

Paul Goggins: Holding answer 1 March 2006
	Under the proposals in the Charities Bill there would be three types of charity that do not have to register with the Charity Commissions) exempt charities, b) excepted and formerly exempt charities with an income below 100,000, and c) small charities with an annual income below 5,000.
	We estimate that under the Bill at least 135,000 charities in England and Wales would not have to register with the Charity Commission. This estimate remains unchanged for the Bill as brought before this House from when it was introduced in the House of Lords last year.

Compensation Orders

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he is offering to those responsible for the administration of compensation orders on how to ensure greater enforcement.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Current legislation dictates that compensation orders must be prioritised over other sums ordered to be paid on conviction by the courts. From 27 March, new enforcement sanctions will be available to all magistrates courts as part of the national rollout of the Courts Act 2003 fines collection scheme, which will greatly improve the collection and enforcement of all financial impositions, including compensation orders. The Green Paper Rebuilding Livessupporting victims of crime (December 2005) proposes extending the current Courts Act 2003 Deduction from Benefit Orders sanction to all cases involving compensation, regardless of default. In addition, HMCS is planning further enforcement blitz operations in areas with sizeable amounts of compensation payments outstanding to specifically target monies owed to the victims of crime.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of (a) council tax fraud and (b) falsely making incorrect declarations to local authorities with regard to council tax liability there were in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available from the recorded crime statistics.

Crime (Swindon)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of recorded violent crime in Swindon was between 12 November and 24 December (a) 2004 and (b) 2005.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not available to this level of detail.

Departmental Finance

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total administrative costs for his core Department are; and whether these are regarded as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses.

Charles Clarke: During 200405 the core Home Office (excluding its agencies and non-departmental public bodies) incurred administration costs of 526,279,000, of which: 148,566,000 is regarded as identifiable expenditure; and 377,713,000 is regarded as non-identifiable expenditure

Departmental Finance

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the administrative costs were of each non-departmental public body for which he has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable.

Charles Clarke: In accordance with public expenditure classifications, expenditure incurred by Home Office non-departmental public bodies is classified as programme, as is the case for nearly all non-departmental public bodies. Annual reports for each of the bodies concerned are available from the House Library.

Departmental Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any (a) employee of his Department, (b) person engaged by his Department as a consultant and (c) paid advisor to his Department is a member of the House of Lords; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not maintain a central record that identifies readily staff who may be members of the House of Lords. The information required therefore could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Detainees (Religious Provision)

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what special provision is made in North Wales police premises to accommodate the (a) religious and (b) dietary needs of (i) Christian, (ii) Muslim, (iii) Jewish and (iv) Hindu detainees.

Hazel Blears: The provisions in North Wales police is a matter for the chief officer and information is not held centrally on arrangements in place by individual police forces. The code of practice on detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers (Code C) issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act requires that any specific dietary or religious beliefs the person may have should be met as far as practicable.
	The guidance Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody issued on 8 February 2006 jointly by Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the National Centre for Policing Excellence states that consideration should be given to providing a separate room which can be used as a prayer room; the supply of appropriate food and clothing; and suitable provision for prayer facilities, such as uncontaminated copies of religious books.

Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of crime attributable to drug misusers; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such crime to public funds.

Paul Goggins: Routine crime statistics used for monitoring crime trends, such as recorded crime and the British crime survey, do not contain information on the offender's drug habits. It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of the proportion of all crime that is drug-related. A Home Office Research Study, 'The Economic and Social Costs of Class A Drug Use in England and Wales', provided an estimate of the criminal justice costs associated with problem drug users' criminal activity.
	The total cost to the criminal justice system was estimate to be around 2.3 billion for the year 2000.

Early Retirement

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his Department's employees have taken early retirement in each year since 1997.

Charles Clarke: The number of employees that have taken early retirement in each year since 1997 is answered in the table.
	Home Office employees who have taken early retirement in each year since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  Home Office(12)(5508890013) Prison service United Kingdom passport service(14) Forensic science service(15) 
		
		
			 1997 24 n/a 0 7 
			 1998 18 38 0 6 
			 1999(16) 116 65 0 10 
			 2000 15 61  4 
			 2001 17 165  3 
			 2002 22 92 10 2 
			 2003 40 114  8 
			 2004(17) 167 51  3 
			 2005 3 47  4 
		
	
	n/a = not available.
	(12) Home Office PIMMS figures 19972004. Fire Service College figures are included within HO figures for the period 1997 to 2002.
	(13) Home Office Adelphi figures 200405 including manual figures for handover period.
	(14) UKPS records 10 cases occurring after January 2000, and none before.
	(15) FSS ceased to be a Home Office Agency on 5 December 2005 figures run to 3 December 2005.
	(16) During 199799 there was a scheme to reduce staff across the HO, due to the introduction of the computerised system (Casework programme in Immigration and Nationality).
	(17) A large early retirement scheme was run in 2004. Of the figures shown 145 of the HO early retirements, and 19 of the Prison Service early retirements fell under the scheme.

Energy Costs

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by his Department on (a) gas and (b) electricity in 200405.

Charles Clarke: The following table shows cost data for gas and electricity for the financial year 200405.
	
		Electricity and gas costs for 200405
		
			  
			 Fuel Home Office (excluding prisons)l public sector prisons(19) Total 
		
		
			 Gas 854,329 13,957,042 14,811,371 
			 Electricity 3,360,523 16,267,718 19,628,242 
			 Total 4,214,852 30,224,761 34,439,613 
		
	
	(18) These figures relate to key buildings only.
	(19) Gas figures include natural gas and LPG.

Ketamine

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to bring ketamine within the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Ketamine was brought under the control of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on the 1 January 2006 as a class C controlled drug and under part 1 of schedule 4 of the Misuses of Drugs Regulations 2001.

Magic Mushrooms

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested, (b) prosecuted, (c) convicted and (d) imprisoned for possession of magic mushrooms in the last period for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The requested data are not collected centrally.

MI5

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether external cultural diversity training is given to recruits to MI5 in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what arrangements are in place for monitoring membership of (a) loyal orders and (b) the Freemasons of members of MI5 in Northern Ireland;
	(3)  what the names are of the senior management of MI5 in Northern Ireland of grade equivalent to the Northern Ireland senior civil service;
	(4)  how many people have been externally recruited to MI5 in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years, broken down by community background;
	(5)  whether 50/50 recruitment is applied by M15 in Northern Ireland in respect of recruitment in Northern Ireland;
	(6)  if he will break down the MI5 workforce in Northern Ireland by religious composition;
	(7)  how many former officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary work in MI5 in Northern Ireland;
	(8)  whether an audit has been conducted in the last five years of whether there is a neutral working environment in M15 in Northern Ireland.

Charles Clarke: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on the details of intelligence and security agency staffing matters. Exceptionally, the name of the director general of the Security Service has been made public.
	The Security Service is accredited to the Investors in People standard. Training and development for all staff, who are recruited from throughout the UK, includes training in human rights and cultural awareness. Systems are in place to ensure that the selection of new staff and decisions on promotion and postings are free of prejudice or bias, irrespective of gender, age, race, marital status, ethnic origin, working pattern, sexual orientation, disability or religion.
	All recruits must pass a comprehensive vetting process which is standard for all national Government posts that require the highest level of security clearance.

MI5

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent independent reviews there have been of intelligence gathering in M15 in Northern Ireland.

Charles Clarke: The work of the Security Service is subject to review by the independent Intelligence Services and Interception Commissioners established under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and by the Intelligence and Security Committee established under the Intelligence Services Act 1994. It is also subject to scrutiny by the National Audit Office.

MI5

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget was for MI5 in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what projections there are for its budget in each of the next five years.

Charles Clarke: The Security Service's budget, which includes its work in Northern Ireland, is paid from the single intelligence account, which also comprises the Secret Intelligence Service and Government communications headquarters.
	For reasons of operational security and efficiency no breakdown of funding between or within the Agencies is published. The total budget for the most recent five year cycle published in the Intelligence and Security Committee's last annual report (Cm 6510) was as shown in the following table. An additional 85 million to be split over the three years 200508 was announced on 25 January 2006, (Hansard Cm 5758 WS) to ensure early delivery of increased capacity to counter the threat from international terrorism in the light of the July bombings in London.
	
		 million
		
			 Financial year Resource Capital 
		
		
			 200203 940 121.8 
			 200304 1060.4 509.9 
			 200405 1156.8 156.9 
			 200506 1156.4 204.9 
			 200607 1266 214.0 
			 200708 1324 229

MI5

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recommendations of the Chilcott Report affected MI5 in Northern Ireland; and what progress has been made with the implementation of each.

Charles Clarke: I have nothing to add to the written ministerial statement on 16 July 2003, Official Report, columns 4041WS, by the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland concerning the Chilcott Report.

Mr. David Mills

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will list correspondence between his Department and (a) Italian prosecutors and (b) the Italian Government relating to the investigation into Mr. David Mills; and if he will place copies of them in the Library;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter from the Italian prosecutor to his Department relating to the investigation into Mr. David Mills.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 6 March 2006
	Correspondence between the UK and other countries relating to mutual legal assistance and extradition is by its very nature confidential and the Home Office would normally neither confirm nor deny that such requests have been received or considered by UK authorities. I am aware that a number of documents relating to this case have apparently been leaked to the press.
	As a result it is clear that advice on extradition matters has been sought and that requests for mutual legal assistance have been received and acted upon. Regardless of this development, and considering the Government's policy to decline to comment on leaked documents, I consider it right to retain the confidentiality of these documents and as such they will not be placed in the Library.

Muslim Communities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings he has had with representatives of UK (a) Muslim communities and (b) Muslim youth groups in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: My right hon. Friend The Home Secretary meets regularly with representative groups from all faith communities. Specific details on meeting with representatives of UK Muslim communities and Muslim youth groups are not separately available.

National Offender Management Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Chief Executive or Head of the National Offender Management Service will be appointed on a permanent basis; who is to be appointed; and what annual salary the appointee will receive.

Fiona Mactaggart: There is an open competition in progress to appoint a permanent Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service. The salary range for the successful candidate is 150,000-170,00, although more may be available for an exceptional candidate.

Number Plates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of (a) introducing and (b) rolling out automatic number plate recognition via local authority-owned CCTV systems.

Hazel Blears: In local authority closed circuit television systems (CCTV), automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology utilises already existing camera networks. Where these systems have been upgraded to accommodate ANPR, the cost, in most cases, has been borne by the individual Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships on a case by case basis. It is not, therefore, possible to provide a centrally collated estimate of the cost of this facility to local authorities.

Number Plates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to encourage the use of automatic number plate recognition technologies; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Government have made 25 million capital funding available to the Police Service in years 200506 and a further 7.5 million in 200607 (32.5 million in total) for the provision of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology development. This investment addresses the fight against serious and organised crime, terrorism, volume crime and road traffic offending.
	The Home Office has supported the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) through funding the development of the National ANPR Data Centre as it meets many of its strategic aims for crime reduction. This facility will enable the Police and intelligence services to track vehicle movements throughout the United Kingdom mainly for the purposes of detection and prevention of serious crime. The ANPR facility specifically targets those who choose to use our roads illegally, leaving law-abiding citizens to go about their business uninterrupted.

Passports

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost of extending free passports to British citizens born after 2 September 1929 when they reach their 75th birthday.

Andy Burnham: The UK Passport Service has no plans at present to introduce free passports to all British citizens.
	If this change were implemented, the estimated impact, based on the current 51 fee, is:
	
		
			  Additional free passports Additional cost (lost revenue) () 
		
		
			 2006 52,776 2,692,000 
			 2007 70,012 3,571,000 
			 2008 96,150 4,904,000 
			 2009 112,381 5,731,000 
			 2010 141,540 7,219,000 
			 5 year total 472,859 24,117,000 
		
	
	The current scheme entitles those born on or before 2 September 1929 to a free passport. The cost of this scheme in terms of lost revenue for 2005 was 7.3 million from 172,650 applications.

Police

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many injury award pensions are being paid by each police force in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not held centrally.

Police

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding was allocated to police services in (a) Uxbridge and (b) each London borough in each year since 1995.

Hazel Blears: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is responsible for the operational management of, and allocation of funding by the force. I understand he has replied to the hon. Member directly. I will place a copy of the reply in the House Library.

Police

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in South Swindon in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the table. Figures are for the basic command unit for Swindon as information is not collected centrally for South Swindon. Data are only available from 200203 onwards.
	
		Police officer strength in Swindon, (200305)
		
			 As at 31 March: Full-time equivalent(20) 
		
		
			 2003 335.1 
			 2004 356.0 
			 2005 355.1 
		
	
	(20) Police officer strength has only been collected by the Home Office at basic command unit level since 2003. Figures are based on full-time equivalent figures (including staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave) and have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Police

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it costs on average to employ a (a) police officer and (b) community support officer for each of the first 10 years of service.

Hazel Blears: The only available information on police officer costs by length of service relates to police constables' pay and is provided in the table. The table shows the salary of a police constable on completion of initial training and the relevant regional allowance.
	The pay scales for police constables range from 20,397 for a newly recruited officer, rising to 32,025 for an officer with 10 year's service. Additionally, a constable who has served at the top of the pay scale for one year has access to a competence-related threshold payment of 1,062 per year. Salary and other terms and conditions for police community support officers (PCSOs) are determined by the respective police authority.
	We do not routinely maintain data on PCSO salaries. The most recent data we have on PCSO salary costs and allowances is contained in a report by Accenture on terms and conditions for PCSOs, which was published on three February. The report provides a range of data on basic pay rates and allowances paid to PCSOs and an analysis of the variations between forces. The report found that the typical average salary for PCSOs was 17,269 and the average total cash reward (basic salary plus allowances and overtime) was 20,526. The report is available on the Home Office website-http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/community-policing/commu nity-support-officers/
	
		Constables' pay
		
			 Pay point With effect from 1 September 2005 () 
		
		
			 On commencing service 20,397 
			 On completion of initial training 22,770 
			 2 (21)24,090 
			 3 25,563 
			 4 26,367 
			 5 27,213 
			 6 27,990 
			 7 28,683 
			 8 29,601 
			 9 31,392 
			 10 (22)32,025 
		
	
	(21) (a)
	(22) (b)

PR Companies

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he would list the public relations companies that have had contracts with (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by his Department since May 1997.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office has no formal contracts with public relations companies. The list of companies whose services have been provided through the Central Office of Information since 1997 comprises: Citigate Westminster, Luther Pendragon, RED Consultancy August One, Citigate Communications, Grayling Forster Company, Geronimo, Harrison Cowley, Fishburn Hedges, Band and Brown, Blue Rubicon and Good Relations. The Police Information Technology Organisation let one contract in 2002 to The Team. Centrex let one contract in 2002 to Luther Pendragon. Information from independent statutory bodies and bodies financially sponsored by the Department is not held centrally, and to collate would exceed disproportionate cost.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have access to Sky TV in their cells.

Fiona Mactaggart: 1,536 prisoners have access to Sky TV in their cells.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities are provided by the Prison Service for interpreting and translating for those prisoners who cannot speak or read English.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Prison Service provides a large number of policy and guidance instructions in languages other than English, this includes the Prisoners' Handbook, the Foreign Nationals Handbook, Advice on Immigration, and important policy documents such as the Prison Service Order on Request Complaints.
	The Prison Service has a national contract with a commercial company (Language Line) to provide telephone interpretation and translation of documents. Prisons also use accredited interpreters who will attend at the prison to assist with interviews for parole etc.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of the prison population suffering from alcohol-related problems.

Fiona Mactaggart: The most recent study reported that 63 per cent. of sentenced males and 39 per cent. of sentenced females were classed as hazardous drinkers in the year before coming into prison.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on alcohol abuse in the prison population; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce it.

Fiona Mactaggart: Representations have been received on the need to address the alcohol problem of prisoners. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) takes very seriously the need to address the alcohol problem. NOMS has developed a Comprehensive Alcohol Strategy for Prisoners. Detoxification is available on reception in all local and remand prisons. Some prisons run alcohol awareness courses and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) run groups in around 50 per cent. of prisons.
	For those prisoners whose alcohol misuse is part of poly-drug use, the full range of wider drug treatment services is available. Additionally, general offending behaviour programmes can address the underlying causal factors which occur in alcohol-related crime.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is available for alcohol treatment and rehabilitation for prisoners.

Fiona Mactaggart: Figures on local funding streams are not collated.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effects of levels of funding available at HM Prison Grendon on the amount of time prisoners are able to spend with staff; and what impact this has upon their treatment.

Fiona Mactaggart: Grendon is allocated a budget to which it is expected to adhere. Recent temporary measures taken to prevent an overspend include a recruitment freeze and a curtailment of association on Friday evenings. Core therapy time has been protected, albeit the prison has temporarily postponed the recruitment of a therapist and three psychologists. A therapist has now been recruited and psychologists posts have been advertised.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of funding available at HM Prison Grendon on the quality of therapy being provided.

Fiona Mactaggart: Assessment of the quality of therapy provided is undertaken on an annual basis through the Royal College of Psychiatrists Community of Communities-led Correctional Services Accreditation Panel-approved audit process. If reductions in the level of funding have negatively affected the therapeutic process it will be reflected in this accreditation review. The results of the most recent audits are awaited.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by his Department to improve the recruitment and retention of staff to the Prison Service.

Fiona Mactaggart: Work is under way to: examine retention in London establishments; improve recruitment levels of minority staff into the officer grade through a number of positive action measures and; to look at introducing schemes such as apprenticeships in construction grades where there is a national shortage within the industry. Advice, guidance on best practice, help and support is available to staff involved in recruitment.

Probation Services

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, columns 38586W, on probation services, what steps he plans to take to ensure that faith-based organisations awarded such contracts do not (a) discriminate on the grounds of religion or belief in their employment policies, (b) proselytise in the course of their work under contract and (c) subject offenders to discrimination or harassment on the grounds of religion or belief.

Fiona Mactaggart: Contracts will be awarded to the most suitable provider based on the bid submitted. Successful bids will need to comply with the terms of the contract, which will include diversity requirements, and will need to demonstrate they are compliant with legislation on race and religious discrimination. All contracts will be reviewed as part of the Race Equality Impact Assessment process.

Public Order

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of antisocial behaviour orders issued in Gravesham has been breached.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and have been available to the courts since 1 April 1999. A table giving a breakdown by the local government authority area in which prohibitions are imposed within ASBOs is available on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk.
	This table gives data by year since ASBOs were introduced up to 30 June 2005 (latest available). ASBO breach data are available at Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level only and are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since one June 2000. During this period within the Kent CJS area, in which Gravesham is located, notification has been received of seven persons breaching their ASBO on one or more occasions.

Public Order

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sentences have been handed down for breaches of anti-social behaviour orders in each London borough in each year since their establishment; how many of each type have been handed down in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) breach data held centrally only cover breach proceedings where there has been a conviction and are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000. These data are available at criminal justice system area level only. The available information for Greater London is given in the following table.
	
		The number of ASBO breach occasions, as notified to the Home Office, within Greater London, from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003(23), by result
		
			 Period Discharge Fine Community sentence Custody Other Total 
		
		
			 2000 0 1 0 1 0 2 
			 2001 0 3 4 12 0 19 
			 2002 0 3 3 15 2 23 
			 2003 2 16 5 44 5 72 
			 Total 2 23 12 72 7 116 
		
	
	(23) Breaches are counted in this table on a persons basis, i.e. where the order has been breached on more than one occasion within the same period, a person is counted once only within that period.

Servicemen (Custodial Sentences)

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of the armed services are serving custodial sentences imposed by courts-martial in (a) civilian adult prisons and (b) young offender institutions in England and Wales; and how many such people there were in each of the last five years.

Don Touhig: I have been asked to reply.
	Under the Service Discipline Acts, if a member of the armed forces is sentenced to a custodial sentence by a court-martial, they are automatically dismissed from the service, other than in the most exceptional circumstances. No serving personnel sentenced by a court-martial are imprisoned in civilian adult prisons or Young Offenders' Institutions in England or Wales.
	The following table shows the numbers of personnel sentenced to custodial sentences in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Number of individuals sent to civilian adult prison Number of individuals sent to YOI 
		
		
			 2001   
			 RAF 1 0 
			 Royal Navy 2 0 
			 Army 24 1 
			
			 2002   
			 RAF 1 0 
			 Royal Navy 0 0 
			 Army 24 2 
			
			 2003   
			 RAF 2 0 
			 Royal Navy 1 0 
			 Army 18 1 
			
			 2004   
			 RAF 3 0 
			 Royal Navy 0 0 
			 Army 15 1 
			
			 2005   
			 RAF 0 0 
			 Royal Navy 1 0 
			 Army 18 0

Social Integration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to increase social integration of Muslims in the UK.

Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to improving the life chances of all people.
	The Government's Strategy to increase race equality and community cohesion'Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society', places particularly emphasis on improving the life chances of those suffering greatest disadvantage and living in areas experiencing high levels of social deprivation. It provides for programmes tailored to the needs of specific groups, including the Muslim community.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Avian Influenza

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what cross-border preparations have taken place for the potential impact of avian influenza; and what plans have been agreed by the two administrations.

Angela Smith: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is working closely with the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF) in the Republic of Ireland in taking measures to deal with the threat of avian influenza. Given the mutual interest in ensuring that any outbreak on the island is identified quickly as a first step to its eradication and recognising the importance of the poultry industry, DARD officials have had frequent contact with their counterparts in Dublin over recent months to exchange information and discuss the respective approaches. These discussions have covered such issues as wild bird surveillance, the assessment of risk, preventive actions taken to date in both jurisdictions, and contingency planning. DAF officials have participated as observers in the exercises DARD has held to test its contingency plan and DARD officials have participated as observers in the Republic of Ireland. DARD has been invited to send an observer to meetings of the recently convened Republic of Ireland's Avian Influenza Expert Advisory Group.
	The control of Avian Influenza is based on an EU legal framework, which means that the preventive measures being taken North and South, and the control measures that would be taken in the event of a disease outbreak, are broadly similar. Arrangements are in place to ensure that there is effective communication between the two Departments in the event of an outbreak and to regulate trade in accordance with EU requirements.

Dangerous Wild Animals

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dangerous wild animals were identified and recovered in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: As a Commencement Order for the Dangerous Wild Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 has not been made there is currently no licensing arrangement for keepers of Dangerous Wild Animals (DWAs) in Northern Ireland.
	Since the Dangerous Wild Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 gained Royal Assent the Department of the Environment has been building its capacity to deal with the new legislation. Recently resources have been secured to appoint an officer to oversee the implementation of the legislation and the Department is at an advanced stage in negotiations with an external provider to provide safe DWA holding facilities. It is expected that this holding centre will be available late in 2006 which will enable the Commencement Order to be progressed.

Domestic Property Ownership

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change in the number of domestic properties under the ownership of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive was between 1995 and 2005.

David Hanson: The Housing Executive at the beginning of 1995 owned 147,500 dwellings and at the end of December 2005 the total was 98,500.

Dual Carriageway

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  when the Department plans to commence work on the new dual carriageway between Dungannon and Ballygawley; and what the estimated cost of this work is;
	(2)  when the Department plans to commence work on the Cherrymount Link at Enniskillen; and what the estimated cost of the work is.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin ) has been asked to write to hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 7 March 2006
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland two Parliamentary Questions regarding the commencement of road schemes:
	when the Department plans to commence work on the new dual carriageway between Dungannon and Ballygawley; and what the estimated cost of this work is (54583); and
	when the Department plans to commence work on the Cherrymo9unt Link at Enniskillen; and what the estimated cost of the work is. (54584)
	I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	Subject to the availability of funding and the completion of the relevant statutory procedures and economic appraisals, it is anticipated that construction of the A4 Dualling Scheme between Dungannon and Ballygawley is likely to commence in the 2007/2008 financial year. The current estimated cost of the scheme is 102 million.
	It is anticipated that construction of the Cherrymount Link is also likely to commence in the 2007/2008 financial year, subject again to the availability of funding and the completion of the relevant statutory procedures and economic appraisals. The current estimated cost of the scheme, as identified in the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan is 3.8 million, however this will be revised to reflect the additional works envisaged as a result of increased development constraints and poor ground conditions in the area.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Health and Social Services Councils

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases each of the health and social services councils in Northern Ireland have dealt with in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: The information in the following table shows the number of people assisted by the health and social services councils, either in relation to complaints or with advocacy support.
	
		
			  NHSSC EHSSC SHSSC WHSSC 
		
		
			 200203 675 n/a 84 n/a 
			 200304 804 1176 100 40 
			 200405 803 1442 100 42 
		
	
	n/a = not available.

Key Persons Protection Scheme

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were given help under the Key Persons Protection Scheme in each year between 200102 and 200405; how many have been given such help in 200506; what the cost of the scheme (i) was in each year and (ii) has been in 200506; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The numbers of people admitted to the Key Persons Protection Scheme between 200102 and 200405 are listed in the following table. The information is only available in calendar years:
	
		
			  Number admitted 
		
		
			 2001 99 
			 2002 565 
			 2003 433 
			 2004 89 
			 2005 45 
			 2006 (to date) 2 
		
	
	The cost of the Key Persons Protection Scheme is given in the following table and the figures recorded include new works, maintenance and running costs, removal costs, staffing costs and expenditure associated with travel. The costs are calculated in financial years.
	
		
			  Cost ( million) 
		
		
			 200102 4.9 
			 200203 11 
			 200304 13 
			 200405 7.5 
			 200506 (24)4.5 
		
	
	(24) Anticipated spend.

Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of people suffered from mental illness in each (a) ward, (b) county and (c) constituency in Northern Ireland in the last period for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the total number of people suffering from mental illness is not available as many people with such problems are not in contact with health care providers. However, information is available on the number of registered patients in each GP practice in Northern Ireland as recorded on the practice's Mental Health Disease Register.
	The following tables provide figures on the number of such patients and the percentage of the local government district (LGD)/parliamentary constituency that they form. Note that the LGD/parliamentary constituency is based on the location of the GP practice according to the practice postcode rather than where the patient actually resides. Information presented in this way at electoral ward level would not be considered reliable.
	
		(A) Local government district
		
			  Local government district (LGD) Number of mental illness patients on GP disease register Percentage of registered list population 
		
		
			 Antrim 309 0.62 
			 Ards 381 0.54 
			 Armagh 385 0.76 
			 Ballymena 271 0.41 
			 Ballymoney 140 0.58 
			 Banbridge 348 0.69 
			 Belfast 2,589 0.71 
			 Carrickfergus 210 0.54 
			 Castlereagh 256 0.51 
			 Coleraine 364 0.61 
			 Cookstown 244 0.72 
			 Craigavon 557 0.65 
			 Derry 666 0.56 
			 Down 431 0.63 
			 Dungannon 422 0.76 
			 Fermanagh 370 0.60 
			 Larne 98 0.37 
			 Limavady 142 0.43 
			 Lisburn 496 0.53 
			 Magherafelt 263 0.70 
			 Moyle 143 0.66 
			 Newry and Mourne 956 1.02 
			 Newtownabbey 410 0.63 
			 North Down 419 0.55 
			 Omagh 424 0.80 
			 Strabane 292 0.71 
			 Northern Ireland total 11,586 0.65 
		
	
	Note:
	Practices have been assigned to a local government district (LGD) based on their location as derived from the practice postcode. Disease register counts and registered list populations have been derived by aggregating the appropriate practices together.
	Source:
	Payment Calculation and Analysis System (PCAS) as at 14 February 2005.
	
		(B) Parliamentary constituency
		
			  Parliamentary constituency Number of mental illness patients on GP disease register Percentage of registered list population 
		
		
			 Belfast East 659 0.69 
			 Belfast North 1,017 0.71 
			 Belfast South 775 0.77 
			 Belfast West 548 0.57 
			 East Antrim 308 0.47 
			 East Londonderry 506 0.55 
			 Fermanagh and South  Tyrone 744 0.68 
			 Foyle 666 0.56 
			 Lagan Valley 487 0.52 
			 Mid Ulster 555 0.70 
			 Newry and Armagh 1,088 0.93 
			 North Antrim 554 0.49 
			 North Down 512 0.61 
			 South Antrim 545 0.61 
			 South Down 707 0.73 
			 Strangford 401 0.45 
			 Upper Bann 798 0.68 
			 West Tyrone 716 0.76 
			 Northern Ireland total 11,586 0.65 
		
	
	Note:
	Practices have been assigned to a local government district (LGD) based on their location as derived from the practice postcode. Disease register counts and registered list populations have been derived by aggregating the appropriate practices together.
	Source:
	Payment Calculation and Analysis System (PCAS) as at 14 February 2005.

Multiple Sclerosis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many multiple sclerosis sufferers in the Southern Health Board are waiting to commence (a) beta interferon and (b) glatiramer treatment.

Shaun Woodward: There were 17 patients resident in the Southern Board area awaiting beta interferon or glatiramer treatment at 31 January 2006 (excluding patients who are currently suspended from the waiting list). The decision about which disease-modifying drug a patient receives is made after they come off the list and prepare to start treatment.

National Lottery

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much lottery funding has been spent in each ward of Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: This information is not available in the form requested. national lottery distributors do not hold information on their awards by ward area or by monies spent.

Police Service

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland unit established to tackle the targeting of elderly people by criminal gangs is part of a long-term strategy.

Shaun Woodward: The Government are committed to reducing crime affecting older persons and have been proactive in implementing a range of initiatives which have helped reduce crime and fear of crime among older people. The establishment of a specialist unit within the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle aggravated burglary is one element of the police strategy to deter and detect those involved in committing this type of offence against older persons. The Community Safety Unit of the Northern Ireland Office is also currently developing a strategy for the safety of older persons which will take into account the range of ongoing initiatives.

Public Appointments

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people appointed to non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) in Northern Ireland received (a) between 10,000 and 19,999, (b) between 20,000 and 29,999 and (c) over 30,000 in respect of their duties connected with the NDPBs during 2005.

Angela Smith: The information sought is not available in the required format, and could be determined only at disproportionate cost. However, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) Departmental Report 2005 provides details of remuneration rates for the Department's public appointments and the Public Appointments Annual Report produced by the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) provides similar details for all other public appointments in Northern Ireland.
	The NIO Departmental Report 2005 and the Public Appointments Ninth Annual Report are available in the Library of the House. The 2006 NIO report will be available in April and the next OFMDFM report will be published in September.

Public Transport

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on public transport in Northern Ireland in real terms in each of the last 30 years.

Shaun Woodward: Information is only readily available for the past 20 years. The levels of funding provided by government for public transport in Northern Ireland during that period were as follows:
	
		
			 Source/year Purpose Amount () 
		
		
			 DOE Appropriation Accounts 
			 198586 Railway Services: 10,677,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 11,282,000 
			 198687 Railway Services: 12,583,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 10,945,000 
			 198788 Railway Services: 10,298,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 12,793,000 
			 198889 Railway Services: 9,796,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 11,344,000 
			 198990 Railway Services: 11,299,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 13,430,000 
			 199091 Railway Services: 11,164,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 13,875,000 
			 199192 Railway Services: 11,989,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 15,477,000 
			 199293 Railway Services: 12,841,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 16,062,000 
			 199394 Railway Services: 13,486,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 16,576,000 
			 199495 Railway Services: 11,543,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 16,537,000 
			 199596 Railway Services: 12,877,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 18,198,000 
			 199697 Railway Services: 11,974,000 
			  Road Passenger Services : 17,214,000 
			 199798 Railway Services: 9,705,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 16,734,000 
			 199899 Railway Services: 12,252,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 18,777,000 
			 DRD Appropriation Accounts 
			 19992000 Railway Services: 14,345,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 20,134,000 
			 200001 Railway Services: 24,621,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 22,621,000 
			 DRD Resource Accounts 
			 200102 Railway Services: 55,770,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 22,020,000 
			 200203 Railway Services: 74,393,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 24,589,000 
			 200304 Railway Services: 41,170,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 33,494,000 
			 200405 Railway Services: 69,574,000 
			  Road Passenger Services: 36,967,000

Royal Victoria Hospital

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what investigations there have been into the allegations by consultant surgeons at the Royal Victoria hospital in a letter dated 18 October 2004 to the chief executive of the Royal group of hospitals of obstruction in getting gravely ill patients into theatre for necessary surgery.

Shaun Woodward: The allegations were investigated by the Royal group of hospitals and considered by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) as part of its independent review into the lessons to be learnt from the death of Mrs. Janine Murtagh.
	The RQIA's independent review found that
	. . . in this instance, there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations . . .

Sure Start

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been allocated to Sure Start schemes in Northern Ireland in each year since they were introduced.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		Funding for sure start schemes in NI
		
			  million 
			  Northern Ireland allocation for sure start 
		
		
			 200001 (25)2 
			 200102 5.8 
			 200203 6.6 
			 200304 8.5 
			 200405 8.8 
			 200506 9.1 
		
	
	(25) From July 2000.

Sure Start

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Sure Start scheme places there are in each (a) ward, (b) county and (c) constituency in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: There are currently 25 Sure Start projects in Northern Ireland offering just over 23,000 children in the 04 age range access to health care and family support services as opposed to scheme places.
	Table 1 shows the number of 04's who have access to Sure Start Services at Ward level. There are a total of 582 wards in Northern Ireland and Sure Start projects cover 102 wards.
	
		Table 1
		
			  Ward Number of 04s having access to Sure Start Services 
		
		
			 Ardglass 212 
			 Ardoyne 576 
			 Armoy 48 
			 Audley's Acre 142 
			 Augher 119 
			 Bailee 177 
			 Ballinamallard 184 
			 Ballybay 172 
			 Ballybot 138 
			 Ballycolman 222 
			 Ballykeel 166 
			 Ballymacarrett 365 
			 Ballynafeigh 279 
			 Ballyoran 162 
			 Ballysaggart 154 
			 Ballysally 303 
			 Ballysillan 367 
			 Ballywalter 209 
			 Blackstaff 198 
			 Bonamargy and Rathlin 27 
			 Botanic 238 
			 Bushmills 44 
			 Camlough 208 
			 Caraowen 156 
			 Cam Hill 234 
			 Castlecaulfield 165 
			 Cathedral 268 
			 Churchland 178 
			 Cliftonville 390 
			 Clogher 156 
			 Clonard 324 
			 Collin Glen 665 
			 Coole 151 
			 Coolessan 112 
			 Corcrain 216 
			 Creggan 217 
			 Crevagh 472 
			 Cross Glebe 227 
			 Crossmaglen 163 
			 Crumlin 380 
			 Culmore 868 
			 Daisy Hill 278 
			 Dalriada 119 
			 Drumalane 194 
			 Drumragh 148 
			 Dunanney 130 
			 Duncairn 234 
			 Dungiven 175 
			 Dunseverick 47 
			 East 170 
			 Falls 395 
			 Feeny 158 
			 Fivemiletown 127 
			 Glack 125 
			 Glencairn 253 
			 Glentaisie 73 
			 Gortalowry 251 
			 Harryville 84 
			 Highfield 340 
			 Irvinestown 147 
			 Island 266 
			 Kesh Ederney and Lack 262 
			 Killough 322 
			 Killyclogher 331 
			 Killymeal 123 
			 Kilwee 245 
			 Kinbane 53 
			 Kircubbin 192 
			 Legoniel 331 
			 Lisanelly 274 
			 Lisnarrick 89 
			 Moat 120 
			 Moss-side and Moyarget 55 
			 Moygashel 137 
			 Mullaghmore 148 
			 New Lodge 351 
			 Newtownhamilton 178 
			 North 197 
			 Oldtown 170 
			 Portaferry 225 
			 Portavogie 225 
			 Quoile 169 
			 Shaftesbury 281 
			 Shankill 261 
			 Shantallow East 231 
			 Shantallow West 764 
			 Sion Mills 168 
			 South 306 
			 Springtown 266 
			 St Mary's 154 
			 St Patrick's 261 
			 Strangford 127 
			 The Mount 241 
			 Twinbrook 253 
			 Upper Glenshane 169 
			 Upper Malone 278 
			 Valley 201 
			 Water Works 490 
			 West 308 
			 Whitehouse 75 
			 Woodstock 320 
			 Woodvale 285 
			 Total 23,402 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of 04's who have access to Sure Start Services at Consituency level. There are a total of 18 constituencies in Northern Island.
	
		Table 2
		
			   Constituency Number of 04s having access to Sure Start Services-Total per Constituency 
		
		
			 Antrim Coast and Glens 219 
			 Belfast East 872 
			 Belfast North 3,961 
			 Belfast South 1,594 
			 Belfast West 2,736 
			 East Deny 1,447 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1,811 
			 Foyle County 2,835 
			 Lagan Valley 0 
			 Mid Ulster 421 
			 Newry and Armagh 1,376 
			 North Antrim 794 
			 North Down 0 
			 South Antrim 0 
			 South Down 1,655 
			 Strangford 851 
			 Upper Bann 550 
			 West Tyrone 2,280 
			 Total 23,402 
		
	
	Table 3 shows the number of 04's who have access to Sure Start Services at County level.
	
		Table 3
		
			  County Number of 04s having access to Sure Start Services-Total per County 
		
		
			 Antrim 10,176 
			 Londonderry 4,282 
			 Fermanagh 682 
			 Tyrone 3,830 
			 Armagh 550 
			 Down 3,882 
			 Total 23,402

Teacher Recruitment

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to encourage the recruitment of newly qualified teachers in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Department has issued guidance to schools indicating that wherever possible preference should be given to newly qualified teachers, or experienced teachers seeking to return to employment, rather than prematurely retired teachers, when filling vacancies. Schools have also been advised that they should recruit to vacancies on a permanent rather than temporary basis unless the vacancy is clearly of a temporary nature.
	Moreover, following the review of teacher education in Northern Ireland which is being carried out jointly by the Department of Education and the Department for Employment and Learning, the Departments jointly will be exploring means by which newly qualified teachers can have greater stability in employment during their early years of teaching.

Translink

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average percentage increase was in standard fares on (a) buses and (b) trains under the auspices of Translink in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The average percentage fare increase for Translink bus and rail services for the most recent five years are included in the following table:
	
		
			  Fare increases from 200102 to 200506 
			 % increase on previous year Ulsterbus Metro (Citybus until February 2005) NIR 
		
		
			 200102 5 5 5 
			 200203 4.5 4.5 4.5 
			 200304 5 5 5 
			 200405 5 5 5 
			 200506 2 2 5 
		
	
	Source:
	Translink Corporate Plans

Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) youth workers and (b) social workers there are per 1,000 children and young people in each (i) ward, (ii) county and (iii) constituency in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The available information follows.
	(a) The information is not available in the format requested. Youth workers, in Northern Ireland are employed by the five Education and Library Boards. They work within the statutory and voluntary sector on a full-time and part-time basis. The number of full-time youth workers working within the statutory sector in Northern Ireland is detailed in table 1 as follows. However, this is a small fraction of the youth worker services provided within Northern Ireland. Full details of all statutory and voluntary youth workers are available from the Department of Education.
	
		Table 1: Number of full-time youth workers employed in the statutory sector in Northern Ireland by Education and Library Board as at February 2006
		
			 Education and Library Board Headcount 
		
		
			 Belfast 40 
			 North Eastern 32 
			 Western 21 
			 Southern 31 
			 South Eastern 34 
			 Total 158 
		
	
	Source:
	NI Education and Library Boards
	(b) The information is not available in the format requested. The total number of qualified social worker staff within each trust is given in table 2. These figures, detailed as per 1,000 children by trust area are given in table 3. The number of qualified social worker staff that work directly with children are given in table 4. These figures, detailed as per 1,000 children by trust area are given in table 5.
	
		Table 2: Total number of social worker staff employed in Northern Ireland by trust as at February 2006
		
			 HPSS organisation Headcount WTE(26) 
		
		
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 156 131.81 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 160 145.83 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community 160 149.03 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 16 15.31 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 214 189.50 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 294 282.01 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 515 460.89 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 110 94.20 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 369 319.00 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 454 291.76 
			 Sperrin/Lakeland HSS Trust 221 209.55 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals Group HSS Trust 197 172.22 
			 Total 2,866 2,461.11 
		
	
	(26) WTE = whole-time equivalent.
	Note:
	The figures detailed in this table include all staff that are qualified social workers and include, but not exclusively, the following grades: social worker, team leader, senior social worker, residential social worker, senior practitioner, officer in charge and principal social worker.
	Source:
	NI HPSS Trusts
	
		Table 3: Total number of social worker staff employed in Northern Ireland per 1,000 children by trust area as at February 2006
		
			 HPSS organisation Headcount WTE(27) 
		
		
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 5.43 4.59 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 6.35 5.78 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community 5.32 4.97 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 4.56 4.04 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 9.05 8.68 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 6.10 5.46 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 4.21 3.60 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 9.91 8.57 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 10.85 6.97 
			 Sperrin/Lakeland HSS Trust 4.67 4.43 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals Group HSS Trust 5.79 5.06 
			 Total 6.55 5.63 
		
	
	(27) WTE = whole-time equivalent.
	Notes:
	1. Population figures are 2004 mid-year estimates (latest available).
	2. The headcount of 16 social workers employed by Craigavon Area Hospital Group Trust have been included in the Craigavon and Banbridge Community Trust figures.
	Source:
	NI HPSS Trusts and NISRA
	
		Table 4: Total number of social worker staff employed in Northern Ireland working with children by trust as at February 2006
		
			  Programme of care 
			  Family and child care Other(28) Total 
			 HPSS organisation Headcount WTE(29) Headcount WTE(29) Headcount WTE(29) 
		
		
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 94 74.87 14 10.95 108 85.82 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 97 84.45 0 0.00 97 84.45 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community 81 75.18 5 4.41 86 79.59 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital 0 0.00 16 15.31 16 15.31 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 113 104.60 17 14.57 130 119.17 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 182 165.23 73 67.40 255 232.63 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 250 221.33 0 0.00 250 221.33 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 39 38.50 11 7.76 50 46.26 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 116 93.00 14 13.20 130 106.20 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 107 84.27 32 26.23 139 104.50 
			 Sperrin/Lakeland HSS Trust 107 100.53 20 18.00 127 118.53 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals 77 65.06 7 6.81 84 71.87 
			 Total 1,263 1,107.02 209 184.64 1,472 1,291.66 
		
	
	(28) Other refers to the following Programmes of Care: Mental Health, Learning Disability and Physical and Sensory Disability.
	2 WTE = whole-time equivalent.
	Notes:
	1. The staffing figures detailed in the 'Other' category refer to staff that deal with children but not exclusively.
	2. The figures detailed in this table include all staff that are qualified social workers and include, but not exclusively, the following grades: social worker, team leader, senior social worker, residential social worker, senior practitioner, officer in charge and principal social worker.
	Source:
	NI HPSS Trusts
	
		Table 5: Total number of social worker staff in Northern Ireland working with children per 1,000 children by trust area as atFebruary 2006
		
			  Programme of care 
			  Family and child care Other(29) Total 
			 HPSS Organisation Headcount WTE(30) Headcount WTE(30) Headcount WTE(30) 
		
		
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 3.27 2.61 0.49 0.38 3.76 2.99 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 3.85 3.35 0.00 0.00 3.85 3.35 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community 2.45 2.27 0.63 0.60 3.08 2.87 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 2.41 2.23 0.36 0.31 2.77 2.54 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 5.60 5.09 2.25 2.08 7.85 7.16 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 2.96 2.62 0.00 0.00 2.96 2.62 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 1.49 1.47 0.42 0.30 1.91 1.77 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 3.11 2.50 0.38 0.35 3.49 2.85 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 2.56 2.01 0.76 0.63 3.32 2.64 
			 Sperrin/Lakeland HSS Trust 2.26 2.12 0.42 0.38 2.68 2.50 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals 2.26 1.91 0.21 0.20 2.47 2.11 
			 Total 2.89 2.53 0.48 0.42 3.37 2.95 
		
	
	(29) Other refers to the following Programmes of Care: Mental Health, Learning Disability and Physical and Sensory Disability.
	(30) WTE = whole-time equivalent.
	Notes:
	1. The staffing figures detailed in the 'Other' category refer to staff that deal with children but not exclusively.
	2. Population figures are 2004 mid year estimates (latest available) with children defined as those aged under 18.
	3. The headcount of 16 social workers employed by Craigavon Area Hospital Group Trust have been included in the Craigavon and Banbridge Community Trust figures.
	Source:
	NI HPSS Trusts and NISRA

CABINET OFFICE

Ecovert FM

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the functions carried out by Ecovert FM in (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) Number 10 Downing street.

Jim Murphy: The Downing street complex forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office estate. The key functions carried out by Ecovert FM on the Cabinet Office estate are shown in the list. Alternative arrangements are in place in some buildings for some of the services listed.
	Ecovert FM key functions
	Maintenance of plant rooms and equipment
	Planned preventative maintenance
	Landscaping
	Off-site storage
	Security
	Catering and vending
	Cleaning
	Pest control
	Waste disposal and recycling
	Reception services
	Postal, messenger and courier services
	Environmental management
	Space planning and office moves
	Health and Safety
	Signage
	Acquisitions and disposal of property
	Building surveys
	Lease, rent and tenant issues

Official Residences (Council Tax)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans the Cabinet Secretary has to issue new (a) rules, (b) guidance and (c) procedures on council tax payments for Ministers with official residences.

Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 12 January 2006, Official Report, column 782W.

Strategy Unit

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total cost of the Number 10 Strategy Unit was in February 2006; how many people were employed by the Unit; and how many were (a) civil servant and (b) political appointments.

Jim Murphy: For Strategy Unit costs, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North East Hertfordshire (Oliver Heald) on 27 February 2006, Official Report, column 43W.
	45.74 full time equivalent (FTE) staff were employed by the Strategy Unit as at 28 February 2006. This total excludes six members of Strategy Unit staff who are on loan to other government departments, and are being paid by other government departments for the duration of the loan. The total also excludes five FTE individuals who were given an offer of employment with the Strategy Unit but were not in post as at 28 February 2006.
	Of the 45.74 FTE staff, 42.4 FTE were civil servants. There were no political appointments.

Websites

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many websites the Government are responsible for.

Jim Murphy: The Cabinet Office does not hold figures on the number of websites operated across Government.
	A domain name does not necessarily mean a website, a proportion of domain names will be used as redirects to other websites and for email systems.
	Figures are held on the number of .gov.uk domain names that have been registered for use. At 31 January 2006 there were 3,746 approved gov.uk domain names for all levels of central, local and devolved government within the UK.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of (a) civilians, (b) Afghan soldiers and (c) coalition soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan in each quarter since January 2002.

Kim Howells: Reports of the number of fatalities in Afghanistan since 2002 vary widely and are difficult to confirm.
	In 2005, a total of 1,500 civilians and members of Afghan and international security forces are estimated to have lost their lives as a result of the persistent insurgency and general lawlessness.
	Estimates for Afghan civilian and military fatalities since 2002 range from 4,000 to 10,000. Up to February 2006, the US-led operation enduring freedom coalition suffered 255 fatalities. Up to October 2005, the NATO-led international security assistance force suffered 55 fatalities.

Arms Trade

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the United States of America and (b) member states of the EU in respect of the establishment of an international arms trade treaty.

Kim Howells: The Government are committed to pursuing an international treaty on the trade in all conventional arms. We discuss this initiative regularly with US and EU counterparts. Most recently with the US, our ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament discussed the initiative with officials in Washington on 27 February. During our presidency of the EU in the latter half of 2005, EU member states committed themselves to securing the start of a formal process at the United Nations at the earliest opportunity. We are now working to make this commitment a reality.

Chechnya

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of (a) human rights and (b) other humanitarian personnel working in Chechnya.

Douglas Alexander: The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirms that around 40 humanitarian organisations currently work in Chechnya. Not all have a permanent presence in Chechnya and very few have international staff based there. If international staff visit at all, they are usually sent in only for the day. We estimate that these organisations have over a 100 staff, both international and local, working on rotation in Chechnya. But we have no means of assessing with any precision the number of international aid workers who have passed in and out of Chechnya. Many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have offices in Chechnya staffed by locals.
	Human rights work complements much of the work done by the humanitarian organisations. We estimate that there are fewer than 10 human rights organisations operating in Chechnya, but there are no accurate estimate of numbers of either organisations or staff operating in the region. Specific human rights NGOs do have local staff in Chechnya, and human rights workers based elsewhere in the Russian Federation regularly travel to Chechnya.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter to him dated 12 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Attiya Rani.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied to my right hon. Friend regarding Ms Attiya Rani, on 3 February 2006.

Costa Rica

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent elections in Costa Rica.

Douglas Alexander: Presidential elections took place in Costa Rica on 5 February 2006. The Costa Rican Election Tribunal has not yet been able to make an official announcement since it has yet to resolve some 200 nullity pleas. A formal result is expected soon and the presidential inauguration is due to take place on 8 May.
	The head of the Election Observation Mission from the Organisation of American States (OAS) has praised the peaceful conduct of the elections and the functioning of the electoral system.

Egypt

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the imprisonment of Ayman Nour in Egypt.

Kim Howells: On 27 December 2005, the UK, speaking as the presidency of the European Union, made a statement on the verdict and imprisonment of Ayman Nour. The full text of the statement can be found at: http://www.eu2005.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=l107293561746a=KArticleaid=l134650253515

Egypt

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on President Mubarak's decision to postpone local elections in Egypt scheduled for April.

Kim Howells: The People's Assembly approved legislation on 14 February, which postponed local government elections for two years, to allow efforts to reform local government on more democratic and decentralised principles. President Mubarak pledged to undertake political reform during his election campaign for the first ever multi-party presidential elections.

EU Accounts

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he took during the Presidency of the EU to try to ensure that its accounts were approved by the EU auditors.

Douglas Alexander: It was disappointing that the European Court of Auditors (EGA) was unable last November to give a positive Statement of Assurance on the EC Budget for 2004. It is encouraging, however, that there have been noticeable improvements since 2003 with pre-accession expenditure once again being cleared, as it was in 2002, and, for the first time, certain areas of agricultural expenditure also gaining clearance. This has meant that around 35 per cent. of EC Budget expenditure was cleared in 2004 compared with only 6 per cent. in 2003. Much of the European Court of Auditors' difficulty in giving a positive assurance on the EU budget payments as a whole arises in the budget sector managed by the member states, who are responsible for 80 per cent. of spending under the EU budget. That is why, during our Presidency, we encouraged member states to take on a greater share of the responsibility for signing off the accounts. We succeeded in securing an agreement that will contribute to bringing about a step change in the EU's financial management and control at a meeting of EU Economic and Finance Ministers on 8 November 2005. We hope that, over time, implementation of the action points in these conclusions will enable the EGA to give positive Statements of Assurance to the EC Budget in future years.

Guantanamo Bay

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visits to Guantanamo Bay have been made by UK officials since 2001, broken down by (a) Government Department or agency and (b) the date of the visit.

Kim Howells: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials made nine visits to the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, between January 2002 and October 2004, to check on the British detainees' welfare. These visits took place on the following dates: January, February, May and November 2002; April and September 2003; March, July and October 2004. An FCO official accompanied five British detainees back to the UK at the end of the March 2004 visit. An FCO official also visited Guantanamo Bay in January 2005 to accompany the last four British detainees back to the UK.
	UK officials have visited Guantanamo Bay to ask detainees about matters relating to the UK's national security. An account of the intelligence and security agencies' contact with detainees at Guantanamo Bay is set out in the Intelligence and Security Committee's 2005 report, The Handling of Detainees by UK Intelligence Personnel in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and Iraq. This can be found on the ISC website at: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/intelligence.

Hajj Pilgrimage

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department provides to those on the Hajj pilgrimage.

Kim Howells: Since 2000, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has worked in partnership with leading representatives of national Muslim organisations on the Hajj Advisory Group to organise the annual British Hajj Delegation (BHD). The FCO provides funding for the delegation which this year was approximately 85,000. The BHD is based in Mecca during the Hajj season and provides medical, pastoral and consular assistance to British Muslims at the Hajj. Lord Patel of Blackburn has led the BHD for the last six years. For the most recent Hajj in January 2006, the BHD included 10 volunteers (nine doctors who run a medical clinic and one counsellor) and two members of staff from our consulate-general in Jeddah enabling the FCO to give consular assistance on the ground. This was particularly vital this year following the stampede at Mina which involved the deaths of three British nationals. The medical clinic also operated over a 15-day period during which the doctors assisted over 7,000 of the estimated 25,000 British pilgrims taking part in the Hajj.

Human Trafficking

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with other European Union countries about the trafficking of women for (a) prostitution and (b) other work in the sex industry.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed these issues at the European Council meeting in December 2005, at which the European Action Plan on Trafficking in Human Beings was agreed.

Iran

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) EU and (b) Iranian counterparts on Iran's nuclear programme; and if he will make a statement on that programme.

Kim Howells: EU Foreign Ministers discussed Iran's nuclear programme when they met on 27 February. They regretted Iran's decision to withhold co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); deplored Iran's resumption of enrichment-related activities; reaffirmed the EU's commitment to a diplomatic solution and called on Iran to reconsider its position on its nuclear issues activities and other areas of concern in order to avoid further deterioration of its relationship with the EU.
	At Iranian request, Ministers and senior officials from the UK, France and Germany and the EU High Representative met the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Dr. Ali Larijani, on 3 March. The aim of the E3/EU in agreeing to the meeting was to enable them to listen to what Dr. Larijani had to say about Iran's response to the resolution passed by the IAEA Board of Governors on 4 February. The resolution deemed it necessary that, among other things, Iran should re-establish a full and sustained suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the Agency. Regrettably, Dr. Larijani was not prepared to undertake that Iran would meet the IAEA Board's requests.

Iran

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review the proscribed status of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Mojahadin-e Khalq was proscribed in the UK in March 2001.
	My right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary decided to proscribe this group because it met the criteria under the terrorism legislation. This decision was endorsed by Parliament.
	The list of proscribed organisations is kept under constant review. Under section 4(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 an organisation or affected person may apply to the Home Secretary for an organisation to be deproscribed.

Iran

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Iran has made to the EU3 regarding the supply of conventional weapons to Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Between December 2004 and August 2005, the E3/EU held talks with Iran under the Paris Agreement. These covered possible long-term arrangements for Iran's nuclear programme and other areas of mutual interest. During the course of these negotiations, Iran expressed concern about European export licence decisions. In August 2005, the E3/EU proposed a framework for a long-term agreement covering Iran's nuclear programme and other political, economic and technological issues. In these proposals, the E3/EU expressed their willingness to take part in a joint export control workshop in Tehran, which would allow for exchanges on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 and national/EC laws. Iran rejected the E3/EU proposals without serious consideration. A few days later Iran resumed uranium conversion activities in violation of the Paris Agreement, since when there have been no further negotiations under the Paris Agreement.
	The UK's national embargo on Iran was introduced in 1993, amended in 1998, and covers all goods and technology on the Military List as well as items entered in Group O (Nuclear List) in Annex 1 of the European Council Regulation (EC) 1334/2000 on the export of dual-use items and technology. There are two exceptions to this embargo, namely (i) goods essential for the safety of civil aircraft and air traffic control systems; and (ii) radioactive material in the form of sources for medical equipment and deuterium labelled compounds for medical use.

Iraq

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of civilians who have been killed in Iraq in each month since January 2005.

Kim Howells: We believe that the Iraqi Government are best placed to monitor the deaths of their own civilians. The Iraqi Ministry of Health published figures last year which show that there were 6,629 Iraqi deaths and 23,838 wounded between April 2004 and April 2005. The Iraqi Government have not yet published comprehensive figures for the period beyond April 2005.

Jamil el-Banna

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  when the most recent occasion was on which officials in his Department discussed the case of Jamil el-Banna with the United States Administration;
	(2)  how many times (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department raised the subject of Jamil el-Banna's captivity in Guantanamo Bay with the United States Administration in the last three years;
	(3)  how many letters (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have written to the United States Administration regarding the case of Jamil el-Banna.

Ian Pearson: It is long-standing policy that the Government cannot make consular representations for individuals who are not British nationals.
	However, we agreed exceptionally in March and April 2005 that the then Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister (right hon. Baroness Symons) should meet the families of those detainees, including Jamil el-Banna whom we knew had been resident in the UK, but who are not British Nationals. She then passed on the concerns expressed to us by the families to the US authorities in April 2005.
	We continue to raise concerns of a humanitarian character regarding detentions at Guantanamo with the US authorities on a regular basis. We have raised issues relating to detainees who were formerly resident in the UK, including Mr. el Banna's case, with the US on a number of occasions since April 2005, as part of these regular exchanges.

Kurdish Region

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) political progress and (b) the impact of unification in the two Kurdish administrations since the war in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Kim Howells: The Kurdish people have a proud tradition of political participation. Following the removal of the former regime, the two Kurdish administrations agreed to form one unified Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). This will be a challenging taskmerging the two governments involves downsizing from 27 to 16 Ministries and reunifying some 400,000 civil servants from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and more than 500,000 civil servants from the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP).
	This decision is testament to the Kurds commitment to democratic rule. Nechirvan Barzani, from the KDP, has been named Prime Minister of the KRG and the position of Deputy Prime Minister will be filled by a member from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The KRG continues to play a crucial role in promoting the formation of a government of national unity, and has advocated a strong central government.

Lebanon

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken by his Department to promote and foster the transition to democracy in Lebanon.

Kim Howells: The Government are actively supporting the transition to democracy in Lebanon. We are encouraged by Prime Minister Siniora's efforts to undertake political reform. Along with our EU partners, we participated in the monitoring of last June's parliamentary elections. We have also contributed 200,000 to the UN Development Programme's support for the Commission on Electoral Reform.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, visited Lebanon on 45 January to emphasise the UK's commitment to political reform in the Lebanon.

Maldives

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in the Maldives.

Kim Howells: We continue to have concerns about the human rights situation in the Maldives, including freedom of expression and association and the right to fair trials conducted with due legal process. We are also concerned that some recent trials of political activists appear to have political motivations.
	We monitor developments in the Maldives closely. We make clear our concerns about human rights and democracy to the Government of the Maldives bilaterally, and with EU partners, on a regular basis. We promote improvements in human rights where we can. We have in the past supported the work of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, non-governmental organisations concerned with fair trials and, most recently in January, the training of journalists.
	It is essential in this context that the Maldives moves forward quickly with democratic reforms. All political groups in the Maldives need to engage in dialogue to move towards a consensus on constitutional change, within a clear and limited time scale. We strongly support the efforts of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Secretary-General's Special Envoy in furthering this agenda.

Middle East

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the borders of the state of Israel.

Kim Howells: As the Quartet has consistently made clear, we continue to believe that, final status issues can only be resolved through negotiations and agreement between the parties themselves. We share the Quartet's goal of a two-state solution with Israel secure within her borders and Palestine established as a viable, contiguous state. We shall continue to work to this end.

Nuclear Co-operation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the UK Government's policy on a US-India agreement on nuclear co-operation.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said on 2 March, we warmly welcome the announcement that India and the US have reached agreement on civil nuclear co-operation, as announced by President Bush and Prime Minister Singh on 2 March.
	We believe the agreement can make a significant contribution to energy security, development, economic and environmental objectives for India and the international community, as well as represent a net gain for the non-proliferation regime.
	The Government have supported this initiative from its inception and has been actively involved throughout. We will continue to work closely with the US and India, and with partners in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and elsewhere, on the detail of this important issue.

Overseas Offices

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the running costs were of the Department's offices in (a) Pretoria, (b) Beijing, (c) Amman, (d) Islamabad, (e) Bangkok, (f) Bridgetown, (g) Brasilia, (h) Kingstown, (i) Montserrat, (j) Paris and (k) Rome in 200405.

Kim Howells: The running costs of the missions listed in the question in 200405 were as follows:
	
		
			 Post Total running costs 
		
		
			 Pretoria 2,050,223.89 
			 Beijing 3,388,696.32 
			 Amman 1,198,444.85 
			 Islamabad 3,807,005.10 
			 Bangkok 1,496,225.79 
			 Bridgetown 1,024,008.99 
			 Brasilia 2,100,451.98 
			 Kingstown 64,765.42 
			 Montserrat 220,964.73 
			 Paris 9,161,808.05 
			 Rome 5,065,678.99 
		
	
	The figures derive from the expenditure allocated to the budget for each mission, on a range of accounts covering all aspects of the day-to-day running of the mission. The salaries and allowances of the UK-based staff at each mission are not included as this information could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Palestine

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) his officials have received representations from the French government on the future funding of the Palestinian Authority since the formation of the new Palestinian Cabinet.

Kim Howells: On 27 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed funding for the Palestinian Authority with his French counterpart. The Quartet (EU, UN, US and Russia) agrees that all members of a future Palestinian government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. There is a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic state. We support this approach.

Palestine

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances have been (a) sought from and (b) given by the Palestinian Authority about adherence to (i) international agreements, (ii) renunciation of violence and (iii) recognition of Israel following the Palestinian legislative elections.

Kim Howells: The Quartet (EU, UN, US and Russia) agrees that all members of a future Palestinian government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. We support this approach.
	We fully support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's speech at the inauguration of the Palestinian Legislative Council on 18 February calling for the pursuit of negotiations, non-violence, and respect for existing agreements and recognition of Israel. We seek the same assurances from Hamas.

Peter Hogarth Report

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the report he commissioned from Peter Hogarth into the working of his Office.

Jack Straw: holding answer 9 January 2006
	No, because to do so in this case would impair the free and frank provision of advice to Ministers on which the effective conduct of government depends. However, I have written to my hon. Friend today to give him an account of this report, its origins, conclusions and recommendations and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Scrutiny Reserve

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times the Scrutiny Reserve was overridden in (a) 2005 and (b) the last six months of 2005.

Douglas Alexander: In 2005, the Scrutiny Reserve Resolution was overridden on 77 occasions. There were 55 occasions between January-June 2005 and 22 occasions between July-December 2005. Figures for the first half of 2005 include a period when Parliament was dissolved and a period immediately after the opening of Parliament before the European Scrutiny Committee and the European Union Committee in the House of Lords could be appointed. These figures update information provided in my answer to the hon. Member on 17 January 2006, Official Report, column 1290W, when estimated figures were provided as data was still being collected from other Departments. Details of the occasions between July-December 2005, and of two additional cases not recorded in the report for January-June 2005, will be provided to the European Scrutiny Committee in line with the Government's commitment to provide the Committee with twice-yearly reports on scrutiny overrides.

Secret Intelligence Service

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definition he uses of significant operations for which the Secret Intelligence Service must obtain his prior permission.

Kim Howells: The Foreign Secretary's responsibility for the work of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is set out in the 1994 Intelligence Services Act.
	It is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on operational intelligence matters.

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what interim targets he has set for achieving (a) the agreed efficiency target for his Department and (b) the civil service work force reductions targets for (i) gross reductions in posts, (ii) net reductions in posts and (iii) relocations for his Department, as set out in the 2004 spending review; what the baseline figures are against which these interim targets are assessed; on what dates they will take effect; and by what dates these interim targets are intended to be met.

Ian Pearson: The target efficiency gains for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are 38.7 million for 200506, 65.3 million for 200607 and 86.7 million for 200708. These gains will be delivered from a number of distinct projects. Details of the projects, including baselines, are set out in the FCO's Efficiency Technical Note published on our website. Each project will have one or more baseline. For some projects the baselines are straightforward, for instance payments to BBC Monitoring (project 6) were 7.1 million in 200405. For other projects there are separate baselines for each process impacted, for instance Prism (project 5) has separate baselines for over 100 benefits.
	Increases in the number of staff providing services directly to the public that are fully funded by fees paid by users of those services e.g. through the purchase of visas and UK passports, have been agreed with HM Treasury. Demand for these services, and hence the income derived from them, is increasing and this enables the FCO to employ more staff to meet the demand. The civil service work force reduction targets in other areas of the FCO in full-time equivalents are 165 by 31 March 2006, 265 by 31 March 2007 and 313 by 31 March 2008. These reductions are against a baseline of 5,379 full-time equivalents (this excludes consular and entry clearance staff).
	The target relocations are 450 staff. Not all the functions which will be relocated are yet agreed but as relocations take place the baseline is set as the number of staff (if any) who were performing that function in the new location before the relocation takes place.

Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the African Union mission on (a) the security situation in Darfur and (b) the activities of the Janjaweed; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The African Union mission (AMIS) is doing a good job under difficult circumstances. Where it has deployed there has been a decrease in attacks by all parties, including the janjaweed Arab militias. In December 2005, the UK participated in an international assessment mission conducting an in-depth review of AMIS. This concluded that AMIS has had a positive effect on both the security and humanitarian situations in Darfur and recommended further steps to increase its effectiveness. We are working closely with the African Union to ensure these steps are taken. The UK has provided more than 50 million to date to support AMIS.

Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) (i) members and (ii) representatives of the government of Sudan, (b) leaders of African Union States and (c) members of the UN Security Council on the planned handover of the African Union mission to Darfur to the United Nations; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We have had a number of discussions with different parties involved on the possible handover of the African Union (AU) Mission in Darfur to the United Nations. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development discussed this with both the Government of Sudan and the AU during his visit to Sudan last month. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, also discussed the matter during talks with the Sudanese Foreign Minister in London last month. The AU is likely to take a decision shortly.

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding a future full-scale NATO mission in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The focus of discussions in both EU and NATO has been on support to the African Union's (AU) Mission in Darfur (AMIS), until the expected hand over from AMIS to a UN force in Darfur later this year. The AU is likely to take a decision on transfer to a UN force at the meeting of its Political and Security Committee on 10 March.

Syria

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Syria on (a) respect for human rights, (b) the transition to good governance and (c) the importance of democratic values.

Kim Howells: Our Embassy in Damascus, along with EU partners, continue to raise our concerns about human rights, good governance and democracy with Syrian officials. In October 2005, as part of the Campaign on Freedom of Expression, the UK, as Presidency of the EU, and Troika colleagues delivered a demarche to the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urging them to take action in the case of a number of detained human rights defenders.
	There has been no recent formal Ministerial contact with the Government of Syria.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Advice to Benefit Recipients (Private and Voluntary  Sector Organisations)

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what barriers he identified to the provision by private and voluntary sector organisations of welfare to work and employment advice service to benefit recipients as a part of existing and planned Government programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Many organisations work with us to develop and improve the effectiveness of our service delivery and our evidence-based approach to policy design enables us to devise programmes that best meet the needs of our clients in gaining employment.
	The private and voluntary sector (PVS) delivers a significant proportion of our services to the public and we intend continuing and, indeed, extending these partnerships. All our contracts are awarded on a basis of open and competitive tender and the great majority of these contracts are awarded to the PVS, and so there is no evidence of significant barriers to providers from this sector.
	Furthermore, we have proposed in our recently published Green PaperA new deal for welfare: Empowering people to workthat this sector will have the primary delivery role in the next phase of our Pathways to Work programme. We will be consulting with the PVSand other stakeholdersas we progress to ensure that there is opportunity for such organisations to bid to participate in delivering this broader range of services.

Child Support Agency

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Child Support Agency about delays in passing on payments already collected due to computer failure; what steps the Agency is taking to put this matter right; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 8 November 2005
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he had had with the Child Support Agency about delays in passing on payments already collected due to computer failure; what steps the Agency was taking to put this matter right; and if he would make a statement.
	Where a payment has not been issued by the system a manual payment can be requested. The Agency has a process for manual payments which has reduced delays in issuing such payments to clients. In such circumstances, a hold is placed on the computer system to prevent it from releasing the funds pending recovery and adjustment of the accounts. Further investigation is taking place to ensure the system is effective.
	The Agency is continuing to work with EDS to remedy the technical problems.
	I hope you find this reply helpful.

Claim Forms

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the merits of providing one claim form which can serve as the passport to other benefits rather than requiring a new claim form to be completed for each separate benefit application.

Stephen Timms: The Department recognises that simplifying the claims processes has benefits for our customers. The Pensions Transformation Project is currently transforming Pension Service operations, introducing technology that will allow customers to transact more of their business in a single telephone conversationeliminating the need for them to provide the same information more than once.
	Since 5 December 2005, customers who contacted the Pension Credit Application Line (PCAL) have also been able to make a claim for housing benefit and council tax benefit (HB/CTB) at the same time by answering a few additional questions. This allowed PCAL staff to complete a new three page HB/CTB claim form which is sent to the customer who only has to check the details, sign and date it before returning it to their local authority in the prepaid envelope provided. Under this new arrangement customers only need to supply verification of their income and savings once, to The Pension Service.
	By the end of this year, new processes will be in place to allow new applications for state pension and pension credit in one phone call.

Cold Weather Payments

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid in cold weather payments to households in Bath and North East Somerset in respect of winter 200506.

James Plaskitt: No cold weather payments have been paid so far to households in Bath and North East Somerset in respect of winter 200506.

Employment Advisers (GP Surgeries)

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the private and voluntary sector organisations with which he has held discussions with on (a) placement of work advisers in general practitioner surgeries, (b) provision of work focused interviews for pathways to work and (c) provision of work focused interviews for lone parents.

Margaret Hodge: We have met with a range of people and organisations and will continue to do so as we develop our welfare reform strategy. The private and voluntary sector will have a key role to play in supporting our commitment to help people on incapacity benefits to access jobs. We published our proposals in a Green Paper; A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work, in January this year.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people received (a) an adult dependant addition and (b) an age addition for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance in each year since 1995; and what percentage of the overall number of (i) claimants and (ii) beneficiaries that represents in each year;
	(2)  what the average amount of the (a) adult dependant addition and (b) age addition paid to beneficiaries of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance was in each year since 1995.

Anne McGuire: Information is not available prior to 1997. The available data has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what is his latest estimate of the likely (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disabled allowance caseload in each year to 2018 (i) if current policy arrangements continue and (ii) if the reforms proposed in the Green Paper A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work are implemented.

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of incapacity benefit claimants in each year up to 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Department is currently reviewing its incapacity benefits caseload forecasts, including making them comparable to 100 per cent. administrative data instead of the less reliable 5 per cent. sample used previously. The latest forecasts on this basis will be available at the Budget.
	The Green Paper set out our proposed measures to significantly reduce the number of people claiming incapacity benefits. These measures include improvements to workplace health, reform of the gateway, increased support for claimants and removing the perverse incentives in the system.
	While it is difficult to model the precise impact of all these measures, the Green Paper set out our aspiration to reduce the number claiming incapacity benefits by one million over the course of a decade through the combined efforts of the Government, employers, local authorities and health professionals.

Incapacity Benefit

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what discussions he has had in the past 12 months with private and voluntary sector organisations on the provision of supported employment opportunities for incapacity benefit claimants;
	(2)  if he will list the meetings officials from his Department have had with representatives from the social enterprise sector in each of the last five years; and who the representatives were in each case;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with social enterprises regarding the proposals in the Green Paper A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work.

Margaret Hodge: Ministers and officials have held numerous discussions with private, voluntary and social enterprise organisations on a number of issues including supported employment and the Green Paper on Welfare Reform. Indeed such discussions have played an important part in the development of our proposals and will continue to be important through the consultation and beyond.
	Information on meetings officials have had with representatives from the social enterprise sector in each of the last five years; and who the representatives were in each case could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Incapacity Benefit

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances incapacity benefit claimants will be required to engage in work-focused activity prior to 2008.

Margaret Hodge: The current requirement for incapacity benefit claimants is that they take part in an interview with a personal adviser to discuss their work plans eight weeks after they make a claim to benefit. In the Pathways to Work pilots areas, most new claimants are required to attend a further five interviews. From February 2005, the first seven Pathways to Work pilot districts began to extend some requirements to existing customers, who are expected to attend three interviews at six week intervals.
	The Pathways to Work pilots have already shown significant success in getting people off benefit and into work. As set out in the green paper A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work we aim to invest further in Pathways to Work, extending the approach to every part of Britain by 2008.

Incapacity Benefit

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants were women in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: As at 31 August 2005, there were 2,766,200 people claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance. Of those, 1,161,800 or 42 percent. were women.

Incapacity Benefit

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people likely to be claiming incapacity benefit in 2008 (a) in total and (b) who will be retired by 2018.

Anne McGuire: The Department is currently reviewing its incapacity benefits caseload forecasts, including making them comparable to 100 per cent. administrative data instead of the less reliable 5 per cent. sample used previously. The latest forecasts on this basis will be available at the Budget.
	The Green Paper set out our proposed measures to significantly reduce the number of people claiming incapacity benefits. These measures include improvements to workplace health, reform of the gateway, increased support for claimants and removing the perverse incentives in the system.
	While it is difficult to model the precise impact of all these measures, the Green Paper set out our aspiration to reduce the number claiming incapacity benefits by one million over the course of a decade through the combined efforts of the Government, employers, local authorities and health professionals. The paper did not set a formal target.

Learning Disability

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will fund the voluntary sector to provide learning disability awareness training for Jobcentre Plus staff.

Margaret Hodge: Jobcentre Plus has its own learning and development division which already ensures that training, including reference to an e-learning package providing awareness on learning disabilities, is available for all staff who work with customers with disabilities.
	In addition, disability employment advisers and specialist incapacity benefit advisers receive specialist knowledge training on health conditions including, learning disability. This training is delivered in-house by Jobcentre Plus. We have consulted with a range of key external partners, including RNIB, RNID, MENCAP and Equal Ability, to ensure the materials provide staff with the necessary knowledge to support our disabled customers' job search activity.
	We are currently revising our 'Disability Awareness Handbook' and our 'Working with People with Health Conditions and Disabilities' products and we will consult with our external partners in due course to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the products.

Means-tested Benefits

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many means-tested benefits are potentially available for people over 65 years of age.

Stephen Timms: The Department administers three income-related benefits that are available to people over 65 years of age should they meet the qualifying conditions. The entitlements are: pension credit (guarantee credit and saving credit), housing benefit and council tax benefit. People receiving pension credit may also have access to social fund loans and grants.
	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs administers the child tax credit and working tax credit for which this group may also qualify.
	More information on financial and other help available to pensioners is given in the Pensioners' Guidehttp://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/resourcecentre/pensionersquide/home.asp

New Deal (Expenditure)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of spending was in 200405 on education and training within the (a) new deal for 18 to 24-year-olds, outside the full-time education and training option, (b) new deal 25 plus, (c) new deal 50 plus, (d) new deal for lone parents and (e) new deal for disabled people; and what the estimates are for (i) 200506 and (ii) 200607 in each case.

Margaret Hodge: Information is not separately recorded on the cost of any education and training undertaken through the new deal, other than through the new deal for young people full time education and training option.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average time taken to respond to parliamentary written questions from hon. Members on (a) all subjects for which his Department is responsible and (b) the Child Support Agency since 1st June; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 December 2005
	Between 1 June 2005 and 31 December 2005 the Department took an average of 16.9 working days to respond to Commons written parliamentary questions on all subjects and 22.4 working days to respond to questions relating to the Child Support Agency. The Department is committed to answering questions within parliamentary deadlines where possible.

Pathways to Work

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to use the private and voluntary sector to provide work focused interviews in (a) existing Pathways to Work areas and (b) the next phase of Pathways to Work areas.

Margaret Hodge: As we set out in the recent Welfare Reform Green Paper, we want to continue to engage private and voluntary sector providers. Building on the success of New Deal for Disabled People and other initiatives, we wish to develop further our services for incapacity benefits claimants.
	We intend to ask the private and voluntary sectors to lead the work in the next phase of pathways to work areas. This will allow new and innovative approaches to be tested while ensuring that quality support is available to a wide range of claimants, delivered with maximum flexibility.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what transitional arrangements are in place for pension centre operation prior to the reduction in pension centres.

Stephen Timms: The Pension Service's Pensions Transformation Programme will put in place the organisational, structural and technological changes necessary to make further improvements in customer service and efficiencyas well as to increase take up of pensioner entitlements.
	During this period, work from pension centres not being retained will be migrated to those selected to deliver the transformed service. During the transition they will continue to provide support through existing arrangements to ensure that customer service and overall performance are maintained.

Personal Capability Assessments

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many centres were carrying out personal capability assessment health checks in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not routinely collected. The available information is that in December 2001 there were 121 permanent medical examination centres (MECs) and in July 2005 there were 125. In addition, medical services use up to 40 casual hire sites, as and when required.
	Since July 2005, Atos Origin Medical Services have closed seven smaller centres (with a further four closures scheduled for February 2006) and opened one larger centre (with two additional large centres scheduled to open by the end of February 2006) to improve overall customer service.

Post Office Card Account

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 13 February 2006 to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), Official Report, columns 169091W, on Post Office card accounts, what the estimated cost is of the three pilot schemes.

James Plaskitt: We estimate that the costs of the pilots will be less than 150,000. This will be met from within existing budgets.

Post Office Card Account

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract between his Department and Post Office Ltd. for the delivery of Post Office Card Accounts until 2010.

James Plaskitt: I have placed an abridged copy of the contract in the Library. This includes the background to the contract and the nature of the agreement between the parties, which is the only part of the document I have taken quotations from. The rest of the document is both commercially confidential and technical in nature and is not appropriate to make public.

Social Enterprise Sector

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes he plans to the training given to incapacity benefit personal advisers; and what he expects the cost to his Department of the training to be.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what changes he plans to the training given to incapacity benefit personal advisers and what he expects the cost to his Department of the training to be. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Government has recently published a Green Paper setting out its thinking on the reform of incapacity benefits. At this stage it is too early to say what changes will be required to the training given to Personal Advisers, or to estimate what the cost of any such changes may be.
	Once any changes to Incapacity Benefit have been finalised, Jobcentre Plus will carry out a learning needs analysis and put in place a programme of training for all the key roles affected by the changes, including Personal Advisers.

Welfare Reform Green Paper

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely cost savings from implementation of the measures outlined in the Green Paper, A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work in each year to 201819;
	(2)  if he will break down by expenditure item the planned 360 million investment proposed in the Green Paper, A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work;
	(3)  what he expects the cost to be for each Pathways to Work scheme in each year to 2008;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of extending work-focused interviews to all existing incapacity benefit claimants;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the cost of employing staff to administer the work focused interviews proposed in the Green Paper, A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work in each year from 2008 to 2018;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the cost of employing medical professionals to administer the new personal capability assessments proposed in the Green Paper, A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work in each year from 2008 to 2018; and how many whole-time equivalent medical professionals he expects will be required.

Margaret Hodge: Our Welfare Reform Green Paper; A new deal for welfare, Empowering people for work; set out our proposals for the future of the welfare state and builds on the success of our welfare to work policies such as new deal and Pathways to Work.
	The funding for welfare reform has been drawn from the budgets provided to the Department through the 2004 Spending Review settlement which covered the financial years 200506 to 200708. Details are available in The departmental report 2005 (Cm 6539) published in June 2005. The 360 million funding is largely to be spent extending the Pathways to Work programme beyond the pilot areas and covers 200607 and 200708, but may also be used to fund other measures dependent on responses to the consultation.
	While we are still in the consultation phase a detailed costing of the various parts of our proposals is not possible. This is especially the case in relation to the costs for each Pathways to Work scheme as we are looking to the private and voluntary sector to deliver many of the Pathways schemes and it is not possible to provide detailed costs prior to contract negotiations. This is also the case when it comes to the need for additional medical professionals where we are consulting to develop the detail of the new personal capability assessment. Medical Services will be contracting doctors and other health care professionals where required.
	However, I can tell you that if every current incapacity benefit recipient was given a work focussed interview at least once a year, we estimate the cost would be around 80 million annually. The actual costs would be dependent on the numbers joining and leaving the benefit during any one year. But, although the cost savings from measures outlined in the Green Paper depend to a large extent on the final proposals following the consultation, we know that the existing Pathways pilots are already generating savings, and we expect further savings from further roll-out.

Welfare Reform Green Paper

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional financial help will be made available to those with the most serious disabilities and health conditions during the three-month assessment phase of the Employment and Support Allowance proposed in the Green Paper A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work.

Margaret Hodge: We are currently in the consultation period for the Green Paper. This consultation will include looking at the scope for simplifying the benefit structure.
	The Green Paper proposes that, in addition to the assessment phase benefit, those with the most serious disabilities and health conditions may be entitled to the enhanced and severe disability premiums currently available through income support. They may also get help with housing costs through housing benefit and council tax benefit. It also proposes that claimants may be entitled to disability living allowance, which currently ranges between 16.05 to 104.90 per week depending on the claimant's care and mobility needs.

Welfare Reform Green Paper

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether the randomly selected ad hoc case checks proposed in the Green Paper, A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work will extend to incapacity benefit claimants with severe long-term disabilities and health conditions;
	(2)  assessment he has made of the impact of ad hoc case checks on the health of incapacity benefit claimants (a) suffering from stress and mental health problems and (b) with severe long-term disabilities and health conditions.

Margaret Hodge: It is important in the interests of fairness to genuine claimants and to the taxpayer, that we assure ourselves that those claiming incapacity benefits are entitled to do so. This requires regular review and other measures to ensure proper compliance.
	Therefore, in line with our core principle of balancing rights with responsibilities, our Green Paper; A new deal for welfare, Empowering people for work; sets out proposals to introduce an additional safeguard of randomly selected, ad hoc case checks, to be carried out by a dedicated team which would be created for this purpose. Where these checks produce doubt about the nature or extent of an individual's incapacity, a fresh personal capability assessment will be required. This process will provide confirmation to the genuine claimant of the appropriateness and correctness of their ongoing entitlement and also assurance to the taxpayer of the integrity and security of the benefit.
	After completion of the formal consultation period on 21 April 2006, details on the operation of ad hoc case checks will be finalised, along with the other measures in the Green Paper.

Welfare Reform Green Paper

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what he expects will be the qualifying conditions for (a) the income-related strand and (b) the contribution-related strand of the employment and support allowance proposed in the Green Paper A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work.

Margaret Hodge: We are currently in the consultation period for the green paper; A new deal for welfare: empowering people to work. It proposes that the Employment and Support Allowance will replace incapacity benefit and income support (on grounds of incapacity). As now, individuals will be expected to fulfil the relevant medical, contribution and/or income tests to access the benefit.

Women's Pensions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the level of women's pensions.

Stephen Timms: We have already made a number of changes that are improving women's pension position. Two-thirds of those benefiting from pension credit are women. The state second pension is also extending second-tier pension rights, for the first time, to women who are caring for young children or a disabled adult.
	We realise that, despite these improvements, more needs to be done. That is why we have made producing fair outcomes for women and carers one of our five tests for reform of the pension system.
	Last November we published a research report 'Women and Pensions: the evidence'. This was a compendium of evidence that highlighted the key influences on the level of women's retirement income and provided a firm basis on which to build consensus on the way forward. This report, together with the final report from the Pensions Commission and the outcomes from the ongoing national pensions debate will help to build on progress so far in helping women pensioners when we come forward with proposals for reform of pensions in the spring.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Bedfordshire and Luton Economic Development  Partnership

Andrew Selous: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the budget is for the Bedfordshire and Luton Economic Development Partnership for 200506; who its directors are; to whom it is accountable; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Bedfordshire and Luton Economic Development Partnership (BLEDP) have a projected income for 200506 of 1,403,572. For the names of directors I would refer the hon. Member to the BLEDP website at: www.bledp.co.uk. BLEDP is accountable to the communities of Bedfordshire and Luton through its board of directors. As a company, it is subject to the normal accountancy procedures. BLEDP is also accountable to the East of England development agency (BEDA) for the achievement of the agreed outputs on all the project funding they provide, to the Learning and Skills Council for the achievement of outputs on the European Social Fund and to the Bedfordshire county council for the achievement of targets on its funding.

Building Regulations

David Howarth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when and how he plans to implement Articles 7 to 10 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 27 February 2006
	The Government have already announced changes to Part L of the Building Regulations that increase the energy efficiency of new buildings by 40 per cent. compared to 2002. These changes implement the technical provisions in Articles 3 to 6 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and will come into effect in April 2006.
	There is a three-year derogation period, commencing 4 January 2006, to apply fully the provisions for energy certificates and plant inspection in Articles 7 to 10 of the Directive. Government has signalled that it proposes to use this derogation as there are not sufficient numbers of suitably qualified inspectors in place.
	The introduction of the Home Inspection Pack in June 2007 and associated training of Home Inspectors will cover requirements of the Directive to make energy certificates available upon the marketed sales of dwellings. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is engaging with industry stakeholders to muster a cadre of inspectors to support a phased programme of implementation in other sectors.
	I expect to make a further statement on implementation of the Directive soon.

Council Tax Data Sales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) discussions and (b) meetings Valuation Office Agency officials have had with commercial organisations concerning the sale of its council tax data for commercial purposes in the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	Any organisation approaching VOA over the last five years inquiring about the possibility of purchasing council tax data, have been informed that the data is not available for sale.

Departmental Telephone Numbers

Anne Milton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) his Department and (ii) agencies which report to him.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not use any 0800 or 0870 numbers in its dealings with the public. The only 0845 number used is the Neighbourhood Renewal helpline (0845 0828383). However, calls to this number are diverted to the main ODPM switchboard and are charged at a local rate.
	The office's agencies do not use 0800, 0845 or 0870 numbers.

Hereditaments

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many composite hereditaments were registered by the Valuation Office Agency for (a) council tax and (b) business rates in England in each year since 199697.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many composite hereditaments were on the valuation lists in England in each year since 1998;
	(2)  how many composite hereditaments there were on the valuation lists in England in each year since 1998.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of composite hereditaments shown in the Council Tax List, for England, in 2005 is 295,310. Figures for previous years are not separately available.
	The number of composite hereditaments shown in the Rating List, for England, are as shown:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 At March:  
			 2001 184,301 
			 2002 181,250 
			 2003 178,081 
			   
			 At April:  
			 2004 174,884 
			   
			 At December:  
			 2005 168,750

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate the Government have made of the number of home information packs which will be produced each year once the scheme is fully running.

Yvette Cooper: At the current level of market activity, it is estimated that 1.44 million home information packs would be required each year for homes placed on the market.

Local Authority Achievements

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the use of public funds to pay for the promotion and advertising of local authority achievements; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has issued guidance to local authorities with respect to publicity in the Recommended Code of Practice on Local Authority Publicity. This is available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: www. odpm.gov.uk/index. asp?id=1133861

Local Authority Grants

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to improve the accuracy of data used to make allocations of grant to local authorities for future settlements; and what plans he has to compensate those authorities affected by inaccurate data in 200506, with particular reference to Slough borough council.

Phil Woolas: When calculating formula grant allocations, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister uses the best data that are available on a consistent basis across all authorities and that are available at the time. In the case of the population projections, these are the 2003-based population projections produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). As a general rule, no retrospective adjustments are made to local government finance settlements once more up-to-date data become available. It is only in exceptional circumstances when there has been a major systematic error that we consider making amending reports. The Local Government Finance Report (England) 200506: Amending Report 2006 was approved by the House on 6 February 2006, and cannot be reopened.

Local Authority Grants

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the accuracy of the Mid Year Population Estimates data used to determine local authority grant allocations.

Phil Woolas: In the course of consultation on the 200607 local government finance settlement, representations suggesting that Mid Year Population Estimates might not be accurate were received from Slough borough council, the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Southwark, North Tyneside Metropolitan district council, and the High Ethnicity Areas Special Interest Group.

Monitoring Officers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the average annual salary of a local authority monitoring officer was in 200405;
	(2)  how many monitoring officers are employed by local authorities in England and Wales;
	(3)  what the cost of monitoring officers employed by local authorities in England and Wales was in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Section 5 of the local government and Housing Act 1989 provides that every principal authority must designate one of its officers as a monitoring officer. Information about the employment of monitoring officers, including their salaries and the overall cost of employing them is not held centrally. The position in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

Monitoring Officers

Owen Paterson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the relationship is between a local authority monitoring officer and the Standards Board for England.

Phil Woolas: The relationship is established by the Local Government Act 2000 and associated regulations. These provide that ethical standards officers of the Standards Board may refer allegations of misconduct against local councillors to monitoring officers for investigation. Regulations also provide that the Standards Board may issue guidance to monitoring officers.

Parish Council Precepts

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the parish council precepts are for England in (a) 200607 and (b) 200506.

Phil Woolas: The information is as follows.
	(a) The total figure for parish precepts in England for 200607, as reported by billing authorities, will be published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website on 27 March as part of the council tax statistical release.
	(b) The total figure for parish precepts in England for 200506 is included in table A2a of Local Government Financial Statistics England No. 16 2005, a copy of which has been made available in the Library of the House. It is also available at: http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/stats/lgfs/2005/lgfsl6/h/lgfsl6/xlsfiles/lgfsl6-a-2a.xls.

Rossendale Borough Council

Janet Anderson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total amount of Government financial support for Rossendale borough council has been since May 2004.

Phil Woolas: The total amount of formula grant and other grants and payments made to Rossendale borough council by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since May 2004 is 11.507 million.

Social Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will announce the winners of the social housing grant competition; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: A decision on the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme for 200608 is expected to be announced later this month and announcements on individual allocations will be made subsequent to that.

Supporting People Programme (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of the reduction of funding for the Supporting People programme in North Yorkshire on the funding of housing related services for vulnerable people in North Yorkshire.

Phil Woolas: The Supporting People programme was launched in April 2003 bringing together nine different funding streams that had previously been used to fund housing related support. The Government commissioned an Independent Review into Supporting People which identified that there are wide variations in unit costs between authorities and that efficiencies were available to all authorities.
	Authorities have been required to carry out a review of all legacy services and it is through this process that efficiencies have been achieved. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also required that all authorities develop five year Supporting People strategies which set out how they intend to take the programme forward in meeting local need.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recently consulted on the development of a future national strategy for Supporting People and will be looking at the responses to this paper over the coming months. The consultation also asked questions about future funding approaches and an announcement will be made in the summer 2006.

Supporting People Programme (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received regarding the proposed reduction in funding for the Supporting People programme in North Yorkshire.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced the 200607 Supporting People grant allocations and minimum allocations for 200708 on 5 December 2005. Since that time the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received a number of representations about the Supporting People programme in North Yorkshire. This includes representations from the North Yorkshire Supporting People Provider Forum, the North Yorkshire Supporting People Partnership, a representation from an individual and one from a support provider that operates across North Yorkshire.

Supporting People Programme (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the level of funding for the Supporting People programme in North Yorkshire was in 200304; and what the level of funding was in each of the previous three years.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is following table.
	
		
		
			 Programme 200102 200203 200304 Total 
		
		
			 Supporting People Programme Grant n/a n/a 16,847,226 16,847,226 
			 Supporting People Administration Grant 188,814 476,645 476,101 1,141,561 
			 Total 188,814 476,645 17,323,327 17,988,787

Supporting People Programme (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reason he has (a) reduced the funding and (b) proposed a new distribution formula model for the Supporting People programme in North Yorkshire.

Phil Woolas: The Government commissioned an Independent Review into the Supporting People programme following significant late growth in estimated costs from 1.4 billion in December 2002 to 1.8 billion by March 2003. The review reported in January 2004 that there are wide variations in unit costs between authorities and that 1.8 billion was too much to pay for the services provided.
	Reductions in the Supporting People programme grant reflect the findings of the independent review and subsequent work carried out on value for money including work commissioned into the efficient use of legacy funding and the results of Audit Commission inspections. These studies demonstrate that there is significant potential for making efficiency savings in the current pattern of service provision whilst safeguarding valuable services.
	The draft distribution formula is currently out for consultation and all responses have now been received (deadline 28 February). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently going through the responses and a final decision on the Supporting People distribution formula will be made in the summer with the launch of the Supporting People strategy.

VAT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has undertaken research into the feasibility of Lord Rogers's recommendation of harmonising VAT rates for new build housing and repair.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	We continue to keep the impact of VAT on different types of building work under review, and have introduced reduced rates where they support our regeneration and renewal objectives. However, while agreements with our European partners allow us to keep our zero rates as they currently stand, we cannot extend them or introduce new ones. This means that in order to harmonise the rates of VAT on new build housing and repair, we would first have to give up our current zero rate for construction of new housing. We have no current plans to give up any of our existing construction zero rates.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the Legal Services Commission's decision to withdraw specialist support funding from Citizens Advice Bureaux.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 March 2006, Official Report, column 932W to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable).

Electoral Reform

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Department is taking to increase voter turnout; what further measures are planned, with particular reference to the local elections in May 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government has made available 2.5 million to support the new power to encourage electoral participation included in the Electoral Administration Bill. It is intended that this money will enable Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers in England and Wales to undertake promotional activity, such as posters, leaflets and outreach work, to encourage registration and/or participation in elections at a local level.
	The Electoral Administration Bill includes a new duty on electoral registration officers (EROs) to take all necessary steps to ensure comprehensive registers. Those steps include the following specific measures:
	(a) Sending the canvass form more than once to any address;
	(b) Making house to house inquires on more than one occasion;
	(c) Making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
	(d) Inspecting any records held by any person which the registration officer is permitted to inspect; and
	(e) Providing training to others carrying out the duty
	For May elections in London, the Government is leading in the 1824 Collective campaign to promote awareness of the voter registration. In addition we are piloting early voting in alternative location in some local authorities.

Electoral Reform

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to improve the electoral participation of voters in socio-economic groups D and E.

Harriet Harman: The turnout at the May 2005 general election in social class DE was 54 per cent. This compares with AB turnout of 71 per cent. The gap of participation between AB and DE groups and low turnout of DE group is a concern to the Government.
	The Electoral Administration Bill includes a new duty on Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to take all necessary steps to ensure comprehensive registers. Those steps include the following specific measures:
	(a) Sending the canvass form more than once to any address;
	(b) Making house to house inquires on more than one occasion;
	(c) Making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
	(d) Inspecting any records held by any person which the registration officer is permitted to inspect; and
	(e) Providing training to others carrying out the duty.
	The Government has made available 2.5 million to support the new power to encourage electoral participation included in the Electoral Administration Bill. It is intended that this money will enable Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers in England and Wales to undertake some promotional activity, such as posters, leaflets and outreach work, to encourage registration and/or participation in elections at a local level.

Electoral Registration (Normanton)

Edward Balls: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of young people in Normanton were not on the electoral register in (a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) 2005; and what steps her Department is taking to increase the proportion registered.

Harriet Harman: Electoral registers in the UK do not identify the age of electors and no record is kept of categories of electors upon that basis. However, the independent Electoral Commission estimate in their report Understanding electoral registration (September 2005) that 16 per cent. of 18 to 24-year-olds are not registered and that 28 per cent. of attainers (16 to 17-year-olds) are not on the register.

Her Majesty's 80th Birthday

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans her Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; what advice she has issued to her Department's executive agencies on celebrations for the birthday; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Her Majesty the Queen's 80th birthday is a personal anniversary. While the Union flag will be flown by the Department to mark the day, there are no plans for other celebrations. However, Buckingham Palace is planning a series of events to mark the occasion.

Legal Funding

Philip Dunne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations she has received from citizens advice bureaux in (a) England and (b) Shropshire on the decision of the Legal Services Commission to withdraw funding for specialist advice on complex cases.

Bridget Prentice: To date, we have received:
	67 for the whole of England
	two for Shropshire

Magistrates (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to increase the numbers of (a) young and (b) ethnic minority magistrates in Lancashire.

Harriet Harman: As part of the Magistrates National Recruitment Strategy, to increase the numbers of young and ethnic minority magistrates across England and Wales, we have produced publicity material about the magistracy to encourage applications from all sections of local communities and to raise awareness among employers. The Lord Chancellor has set up a working group of the main employer organisations and the Trade Union Congress to seek their active support in encouraging employees to join the magistracy. We are funding the magistrates shadowing scheme run by Operation Black Vote to enable people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups to shadow magistrates in order to gain valuable insight into the roles and responsibilities of a magistrate, and encourage applications. Magistrate courts in the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale areas have participated in the scheme.
	In September 2005, the Lancashire Advisory Committee ran a concerted press and radio campaign which produced 206 applications. Of these, 18 were from BME applicants and the age composition of all applications was as follows:
	
		
			 Age group Applications 
		
		
			 2030 14 
			 3040 35 
			 4050 51 
			 50+ 106 
		
	
	The figures for the number of magistrates appointed are not currently available, as the interview process has not yet started. Out of the 206 applications, 150 applicants have been short-listed for interview.

Offender Anonymity

Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs against how many people proceedings have been initiated for breach of a court order protecting the identity or whereabouts of a person convicted of an offence in each of the last five years; and how many such orders were in place at the last date for which information is available.

Harriet Harman: Information about breaches of court orders protecting the identity or whereabouts of a person convicted of an offence is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

Orders in Council

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many Orders in Council were passed in each of the past 30 years.

Harriet Harman: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Peers' Residences

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many Members of the House of Lords have their main residence in each (a) country, (b) region and (c) county of the UK, broken down by political affiliation; and what assessment she has made of the geographical distribution of Members of the House of Lords.

Harriet Harman: The figures available at the end of March 2005 show there are approximately 556 peers who have their main residence listed in the UK (where known). The following table breaks down this figure further by county, region and political affiliation. The figures exclude new appointments from April 2005.
	Any assessment on the geographical distribution of Members of the House of Lords will be included in the more detailed work on the future composition of the upper Chamber, as part of the modernisation process.
	
		Breakdown of the main residences of Members of the House of Lords as of 31 March 2005
		
			 Region County Total in county Con Lab Lib Dem CB Other 
		
		
			 East61 Peers Bedfordshire 4 1   2 1 
			  Cambridgeshire 12 2 5  3 2 
			  City of Peterborough 1 1 
			  Essex 11 6 4   1 
			  Hertfordshire 14 2 6 1 4 1 
			  Luton 1  1
			  Norfolk 9 3 1  4 1 
			  Suffolk 9 2 2 2 2 1 
			 
			 East Midlands16 Peers Derbyshire 4  2 1  1 
			  East Midlands 1 1 
			  Leicestershire 5 3 1   1 
			  Lincolnshire 2 1 1
			  Northamptonshire 2 1 1
			  Nottinghamshire 11  
			  Rutland 1 1 
			  
			 London134 Peers London 134 34 45 16 34 5 
			 NI13 Peers Armagh 22  
			  Antrim 11  
			  Northern Ireland 3   1 2  
			  South Tyrone 11  
			  Ulster 6 1 1  4  
			 
			 North East10 Peers County Durham 1 1 
			  Darlington 11  
			  Durham 1  1
			  Northumberland 4 1  2 1  
			  South Tyneside 1  1
			  Tyne and Wear 1  1
			  Tyneside 1 1 
			 
			 North West37 Peers Bolton 1 1 
			  Cheshire 8 1 5 1  1 
			  Cumbria 10 3 5  2  
			  Lancashire 7  5 1 1  
			  Manchester 6  5   1 
			  Merseyside 3   1 1 1 
			  North West England 1 1 
			  Stockport 11  
			 
			 Scotland55 Peers Aberdeenshire 5  4  1  
			  Angus 5 4  1   
			  Argyll 1   1   
			  Argyll and Bute 1  1
			  Ayrshire 1 1 
			  Borders (Scottish) 3 1  1 1  
			  Caithness 1   1   
			  City of Edinburgh 2   1 1  
			  City of Glasgow 2  2
			  Clackmannanshire 1   1   
			  Dumfries and Galloway 2 1   1  
			  East Lothian 1 1 
			  Edinburgh 8  2  6  
			  Fife 4 3 1
			  Glasgow 4 2 2
			  Highlands 4 2  1 1  
			  Kincardineshire 1 1 
			  Peeblesshire 1 1 
			  Perth and Kinross 32 1 
			  Scottish Highlands 1 1 
			  South Ayrshire 1 1 
			  Stirling 2 1 1
			  West Dunbartonshire 1  1
			 
			 South East110 Peers Berkshire 7 1 1 1 3 1 
			  Bracknell Forest 1  1
			  Brighton 1  1
			  Buckinghamshire 5 4 1
			  City of Southampton 1  1
			  East Sussex 11 2 6  3  
			  Hampshire 14 7 1 1 3 2 
			  Isle of Wight 2 11 
			  Kent 15 6  2 5 2 
			  Oxfordshire 22 8 7 1 5 1 
			  Surrey 19 6 5 3 5  
			  Sussex 8 3 5
			  West Sussex 4 2  2   
			 
			 South West52 Peers Cornwall 4 1 1  1 1 
			  Devon 4 1 1  2  
			  Dorset 5 2 1  2  
			  Gloucestershire 11 6 2  2 1 
			  North Somerset 1 1 
			  Somerset 16 8  2 6  
			  West Wiltshire 1 1 
			  Wiltshire 10 3 1 3 3  
			 Wales18 Peers Cardiff 1  1
			  Cardiganshire 11  
			  Ceredigion 1  1
			  Clwyd 1  1
			  Conwy 2 2 
			  Monmouthshire 1 1 
			  Powys 7 1 2 3 1  
			  Rhondda Cynon Taff 2  2
			  South Glamorgan 11  
			  Wrexham 1   1   
			 
			 West Midlands22 Peers Herefordshire 1  1
			  Sandwell 1  1
			  Shropshire 3 3 
			  Staffordshire 3 1 2
			  Warwickshire 5 2 1  2  
			  West Midlands 5  3  1 1 
			  Worcestershire 4 1 1  1 1 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Bradford 1  1
			 28 Peers City of Kingston upon Hull 1 1 
			  East Riding of Yorkshire 1   1   
			  East Yorkshire 1  1
			  North Yorkshire 8 3  2 2 1 
			  South Yorkshire 2  2
			  West Yorkshire 7 1 4 1 1  
			  Yorkshire 7 3  1 2 1 
			 Total  556 168 166 57 132 33

Post-mortems

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many decisions to hold a coroner's post-mortem have resulted in delays to the release of bodies to (a) Jewish, (b) Muslim and (c) Hindu families living in (i) Barnet and (ii) London such that funerals have not been possible within 24 hours in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: This information is not available.

Post-mortems

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that coroner's post-mortems do not result in delays in releasing bodies to families of faiths which require funerals to be held within 24 hours of death; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: For a number of reasons it will not always be possible to authorise the release within 24 hours of the death. The body of a homicide victim may, for example, require forensic analysis. Early release will also depend on the availability of pathologists to conduct post-mortem examinations. But coroners fully appreciate the need to release bodies quickly following a coroner's post-mortem examination, and are particularly sensitive to the requirements of faith groups.

True North Project

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the True North project is still under way; and what the total spend on the project has been to date.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The True North project was run by the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 2057W.

Voter Registration

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to increase voter registration.

Harriet Harman: The Electoral Administration Bill takes forward a number of measures to improve voter registration, including a new duty on registration officers specifying the steps that they must take to ensure comprehensive registers and moving back the deadline for registering until after an election has been called (until 11 days before polling day). The Bill also includes a power for returning officers to encourage participation in elections, to promote current best practice already undertaken by some local authorities in this area.
	The Government are actively working with electoral registration officers and community groups to increase awareness on the voter registration in UK and working closely with stakeholders on improving the annual canvass form by making it clearer, simpler and easy to understand.
	The Government have embarked on a number of initiatives, such as the 1824 Collective campaign to promote awareness of voter registration amongst London's urban youth.

Vulnerable Witnesses

Mark Tami: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures she has put in place to assist vulnerable witnesses in the family and civil courts.

Harriet Harman: In family and civil cases, the main witness is usually the victim/a party to the proceedings and, therefore, is already known to the alleged perpetrator.
	Family courts have wide powers when hearing cases where they consider a victim may be vulnerable or scared. For example: hearings are usually conducted in private and wigs and gowns are not worn; cases are not heard or decided by juries but by family judiciary who have been specially trained to deal with these sensitive cases; when a hearing date is set the victim and his/her legal representative should be advised of any special facilities that are available at that court such as separate entrances/exits or private waiting rooms; in cases of domestic or sexual abuse the court may help the giving of evidence with the use of screens and/or video links. We are also examining the benefits of specialist domestic violence courts where civil and criminal aspects of domestic violence cases will be heard in one court. This should also make the availability of special measures more readily available across the jurisdictions.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan/Iraq

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Department is taking to improve the living standards and infrastructure of (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: The UK Government have pledged a total of 544 million for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance to Iraq from 2003 until 2006, and has disbursed over 460 million. DFID's contribution to this has been 300 million. Our programme focuses on:
	Capacity building in national and local government;
	Supporting participation in the political process;
	Improving infrastructure in the southern governorates.
	To date, we have pledged 72 million for infrastructure support projects in the south, of which 44 million has already been spent. Our assistance is directed at improving power and water supplies, which will raise living standards for ordinary Iraqis as well as providing the necessary infrastructure to support business and economic growth. In the power sector, we have repaired transmission lines from Hartha power station to Basra city, securing electricity supplies for 1.5 million residents; we will improve power distribution to 13 areas of Basra (nine areas completed); and we have projects in progress which will add or secure 270MW generation capacity throughout southern Iraq. In the water sector we have repaired over 5,000 leaks, and have provided technical advice for sewage installation in Al Amarahproviding up to half the city's population with access to a piped system and replacing open sewage channels. We are building water towers and reservoirs to provide clean water for 250,000 of the poorest people in Basra, and we are constructing a water training centre which will train 2,000 water officials and engineers from across the south.
	The Iraqi people will ultimately depend on their own Government to improve living standards, and to maintain and develop the country's infrastructure. To help the Government rise to this challenge, DFID is providing the following assistance:
	Support to the Government's macro-economic reform programme, in order to generate growth, reduce poverty and improve living standards. This includes helping Iraq to meet its IMF obligations.
	Building the capacity of key central government offices, including the Prime Minister's office, to manage Government business effectively.
	Strengthening institutional capacity, and supporting private sector growth, in the four southern governorates.
	We are also supporting living standards in Iraq through the 70 million contribution we made to the United Nations and World Bank Trust Funds in 2004, which includes support to essential services such as health and education.
	The rebuilding of Afghanistan cannot be achieved without significant investments in infrastructure, but given the scale of resources required, and the importance of donors working to their respective comparative advantages, we believe other donors are better placed to make these investments. The USA, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan in particular are investing in Afghanistan's infrastructure sector. A component of DFID's livelihoods work does however include support for small scale rural infrastructure through funding to the National Solidarity programme (9 million in 200506) and the National Emergency Employment programme (18 million in 200506).
	The National Solidarity programme is implementing 8,709 community projects in 33 provinces including 3,779 water and irrigation related projects; 1,740 electricity and generator related projects; and 1,740 roads, bridges, culverts and other transportation related projects. Through the National Emergency Employment programme around 6,000 km of rural roads have been rehabilitated and/or constructed, including 11,000 running metres of structures (e.g. culverts, bridges).

Afghanistan/Iraq

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of progress towards the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Iraq, together with the UK and other donors, has made significant progress with reconstruction since 2003; but there is still a long way to go. Once a relatively wealthy country with high levels of education and healthcare, by 2003 Iraq had suffered more than 20 years of conflict, mismanagement and chronic under-investment from a brutal regime. The 2003 conflict, and the high levels of insecurity that have followed it, have exacerbated, not created, the need for reconstruction in Iraq.
	Continued violence, especially sabotage directed at infrastructure, and low (but growing) levels of management capacity in Iraq's national and local Government have slowed progress. However, reconstruction has continued and much has been achieved:
	In December 2005, the Iraqi people voted in democratic elections, putting in place a Council of Representatives for the next four years.
	The economy has rebounded quickly; Iraq's GDP is projected at $29.3 billion in 2005, up from $18.4 billion in 2002. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Iraq's economy to grow by 10.4 percent. in 2006. With help from donors, including DFID, the interim Government negotiated an emergency post-conflict agreement with the IMF, paving the way for the Paris Club debt reduction deal. In December 2005 Iraq secured a stand-by arrangement with the IMF, which provides an IMF-supported economic reform programme over the next 18 months.
	Iraq's infrastructure was badly maintained and underinvested in during the 1990s. Things are slowly improving. Over 4 million more Iraqis have access to potable water than before the conflict; 9.6 million more have access to a sewerage system. More than US$3.5 billion has been spent on electricity, but the gains in generating capacity have been off-set by continued sabotage, inadequate fuel supplies, a lack of Iraqi capacity to operate and maintain the new systems, and continuing failure of old infrastructure. Current generation averages 4,037MW, compared to 4,300MW pre-conflict and 2,500MW immediately post-conflict.
	Iraq's health and education services are being restored. More than 50,000 teachers and healthcare professionals have been trained. 3,757 schools have been rehabilitated, and a further 432 are in progress. Hundreds of healthcare facilities have been rehabilitated and a new paediatric hospital in Basra is being built. Through extensive disease control programmes, there has been a decline in the prevalence of polio, measles, leishmaniasis, mumps, rubella, and malaria.
	Media and civil society is flourishing. 250 newspapers and magazines have been launched since the fall of the regime, and new, independent radio and TV stations are now up and running. 2,500 Iraqi NGOs are now registered with the Iraqi Government.
	DFID is committed to supporting Iraq's reconstruction progress. Our programme focuses on:
	Investing in infrastructure works to deliver improved power and water services in Southern Iraq
	Building the capacity of local and national Government to manage Government business and deliver services effectively
	Supporting the Government's macro-economic reform programme which will help to generate growth and reduce poverty
	Helping the poor and marginalised to participate in the political process, and supporting the development of Iraqi civil society
	Our contribution of 70 million to the UN and World Bank Trust Funds, made in 2004, is also helping to finance reconstruction work in other areas, with a particular focus on health and education.

Africa (Humanitarian Relief)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the capacity of international donor countries to offer humanitarian relief following the UN appraisal of African countries at risk of famine.

Hilary Benn: The UN has issued a number of reports recently about food shortages and the effects of drought in Africa. We have been among the leaders in responding, and are in close discussion with other donor countries to ensure that adequate resources are made available to deal with these crises. At the same time we are pushing forward a major initiative to reform the international humanitarian system to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of relief operations.

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether aid delivery through local civilian administrations referred to in Article 5 of the EU Common Position on Burma includes the Union Solidarity Development Association.

Gareth Thomas: Aid delivery through local civilian administrations referred to in Article 5 of the EU Common Position on Burma does not include the Union Solidarity Development Association.

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of whether (a) UK and (b) EU humanitarian assistance grants in Burma have been used for the purposes for which they were intended.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provides humanitarian assistance grants to a number of United Nations (UN) agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), all of which are held accountable by DFID for ensuring that funds are used for the intended purpose as specified in project documents. Assessments are made for each project at least once every year as part of a formal review process. There have been no cases of grants being used for other than the purpose intended. We maintain a regular dialogue with EC officials on their humanitarian assistance, but we have not made a formal assessment.

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS projects supplying antiretrovirals funded by his Department in Burma; and whether the regime in Burma is allowing effective monitoring of patients supplied with antiretrovirals.

Gareth Thomas: DFID funds HIV/AIDS projects supplying anti-retrovirals through the UN-managed Joint Programme for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar. The most recent progress report on this programme judged that it was increasing access to and quality of care, treatment and support of people living with HIV/AIDS. In 200405, this programme planned to supply anti-retrovirals to 687 people, but was able to reach 734 people. We are not aware of any difficulties in monitoring patients receiving anti-retrovirals.

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance projects his Department supports in Karen National Union-held territory in Burma.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provides direct assistance to displaced people in Burma through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support their work with conflict-affected populations. Spending on specific displaced populations, such as in the Karen National Union-held territory is not identifiable. Since 2000, DFID has provided total funding of 2.3 million to the ICRC (this also includes support for ICRC's prison visits). Several other DFID-funded projects, including through local non-governmental organisations (NGO)s, also include displaced populations among their recipients.

Cayman Islands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial assistance has been given to Grand Cayman Island following severe hurricanes in 2005.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provided approximately 250,000 in direct assistance to Cayman Islands in 2004, for emergency supplies and services in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. DFID also funds a full time Disaster Risk Reduction adviser to the Caribbean Overseas Territories, who provides ongoing expertise to these countries to strengthen and improve their disaster preparedness. Accordingly, he visited the Cayman Islands in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ivan to advise on recovery planning.
	DFID further funded a study of the impact of Hurricane Ivan to help learn from the Cayman Islands' experience of handling the emergency. The adviser has worked in the region throughout the 2005 hurricane season and will continue to do so until August 2006.
	DFID also placed a Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Reduction Adviser in the region, based in Barbados, for the 2005 hurricane season. The adviser liaised with, and provided advice to, regional agencies and other development partners dealing with Disaster Risk Reduction and the continuing response to Hurricane Ivan and to Hurricane Emily in July 2005.
	The UK also had relief supplies on board one of the frigates based in the Caribbean in preparation for a disaster response in the region.

Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Chad on the appropriate use of oil revenues.

Hilary Benn: There have been no recent bilateral discussions between DFID and the Government of Chad on the use of oil revenues. The Government of Chad has held recent discussions with the World Bank, including on their intention to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. In January 2006, the World Bank suspended all their lending to Chad due to their concerns about the use of oil revenues. The World Bank are continuing to discuss with Chadian officials how to safeguard the oil revenues intended for poverty reduction programs included in their original agreement.

Common Agricultural Policy

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues regarding the reform of the common agricultural policy.

Gareth Thomas: The Government acknowledge the damaging impact that developed countries trade-distorting agricultural subsidies have on developing countries. In December last year the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT) jointly published a paper on 'A vision for the Common Agricultural Policy'. This sets out the UK Government's vision for European agriculture which is fundamentally sustainable and does not distort international trade. The paper includes an analysis of the impacts of the CAP on developing countries, which DFID contributed to.

Congo-Brazzaville

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of (a) the level of corruption in Congo-Brazzaville, (b) the impact of such corruption on debt relief negotiations and (c) the possible effect of debt relief in entrenching corruption.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not have a bilateral programme of assistance to the Republic of Congo. We are however aware of long-standing allegations of corruption, including the use of oil revenues, and share the concerns of many about this.
	Strengthening governance and tackling corruption in the Republic of Congo are essential if the country is to eradicate poverty and meet its development objectives. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank recognise this, and are addressing the issue through their programmes. We welcome the Republic of Congo government signing up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and urge it to continue to improve its performance in this area.
	As a heavily indebted poor country (HIPC), the Republic of Congo is eligible for debt relief through the HIPC Initiative. This is currently under discussion at the IMF and the World Bank, and we expect the institutions to make a statement once that discussion has been concluded. To qualify for debt relief, the HIPC Initiative requires countries to demonstrate a track record in poverty reduction and sound economic management; to get irrevocable cancellation countries must also complete a number of important actions and reforms. To date, many HIPC countries have undertaken to strengthen public expenditure management and accountability, as well as making progress in health, education and other areas. The IMF and World Bank are clear that resources released through debt relief must be used to reduce poverty, and they have a range of safeguards to achieve that.

Debt Repayment

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding repayments of debts owed by African countries to (a) the UK and (b) the Paris Club.

Hilary Benn: I have frequent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on debt and development issues, including issues relating to African debt and the Paris Club. In recent months, discussions between the Treasury and DFID have included Nigeria, which last year secured the largest single deal from the Paris Club by a sub-Saharan African country. The deal will cancel more than $18 billion of Nigeria's debt, and lead to the Government of Nigeria spending an additional $1 billion annually on poverty reducing.
	The UK continues to meet and exceed its bilateral debt relief obligations under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and to deliver its share of debt relief agreed within the Paris Club for other African countries.

Departmental Telephone Numbers

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) his Department and (ii) public bodies which report to him.

Gareth Thomas: The only number that DFID administers is the Public Enquiry Point number which is 08453004100.
	None of our public bodies have 0845 numbers. They have 0207, 0208 or 01355 numbers.
	They are:
	Commonwealth Scholarship Commission of the United Kingdom
	Crown Agents Holding and Realisation Board
	Overseas Services Pensions Advisory Board

Drought

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to address the impact of drought in (a) Ethiopia, (b) Somalia, (c) Eritrea, (d) Tanzania and (e) Burundi.

Hilary Benn: Following my announcement of an additional 15 million contribution to the response in Kenya on 1 March, the total DFID commitment to the immediate relief effort in the Horn of Africa has now reached 35.8 million. This is made up of 7 million in Somalia, 21.7 million in Kenya, 5 million in Ethiopia and 2.1 million in Eritrea. In addition, we have also made commitments of 700,000 to Tanzania and 3 million to Burundi, which are also facing food shortages. Our contributions will help save lives by enabling the UN, non-governmental organisations (NGO)s and governments to deliver urgently needed food aid, nutritional therapy, emergency water supplies and health care.

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what tax disclosures companies are required to make under the accounting standards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Gareth Thomas: Implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) requires the disclosure of all material oil, gas and mining payments by companies to governments. Each country which commits to implement the EITI does so in a way that properly reflects that country's legal and regulatory environment. Information required for publication such as tax disclosures would therefore be decided upon by the implementing country in agreement with other partners such as operating companies and local community groups.

Fair Trade

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what activities he is (a) sponsoring and (b) supporting for Fairtrade Fortnight.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is not officially sponsoring Fairtrade Fortnight, although the UK Government is a strong supporter of Fairtrade products to help farmers and other producers earn a decent living and get more of the final value of their product.
	DFID recognises the significant role that Fairtrade has had in raising awareness of the development issues surrounding commodities trade. DFID supports fair-trade certification schemes and has given over 1 million to the Fairtrade Foundation (FTF) in support of its development awareness and education campaigns including events such as Fairtrade Fortnight. Through investing in the future of Fairtrade, DFID aims to help achieve sustained improvement in livelihoods of disadvantaged producers in the south.
	A number of Government Departments ensure that their catering facilities make available a range of Fairtrade products including DFID. In addition, it is policy in the House of Commons to promote, where possible, the use of Fairtrade products within the refreshment department. Some of the Fairtrade products currently sold are: coffee, tea, drinking chocolate sachets, fruit geo bars, Tradecraft cookies, Divine chocolate, bananas and wines.

Global Fund

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of (a) contributions and (b) pledges to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Gareth Thomas: Since the Global Fund began its operations in 2002, the International Community, including public and private donors has pledged and/or contributed a total of US $8.6 billion to support the institution's work through to 2008. This is a substantial achievement for such a young institution and has helped to dramatically increase international funding to combat the three diseases over the last four years. During the September 2005 Replenishment conference, the Global Fund achieved pledges of US $3.7 billion against its estimated resource needs of US $7 billion for 2006 and 2007 which has allowed it to finance all ongoing projects. A further US $3.3 billion is needed to enable the Global Fund to finance new projects over the next two years.
	The UK has pledged 359 million to the Global Fund for the period 2002 to 2008. Our contribution in 2005 was 51 million, which brings our total contribution delivered to date, to 159 million. Over the next two years we have pledged to provide 100 million to the Global Fund for 2006 and 100 million for 2007, to support the Fund's estimated resource needs of US $7 billion for this period. The two-year total of 200 million represents 8.4 per cent. of the total pledged to date (i.e. 3.7 billion) and 5.1 per cent. of the US $7 billion total resource needs. This is above our gross national income fair share and is consistent with our past support. The UK is currently the fourth largest donor for the period 2006 and 2007 (after France, the US and Japan) and the second largest in the European Union. At present, the UK has no plans to increase our contributions.
	There will be a mid-term review of the Global Fund's replenishment process in June. This will be an opportunity for the International Community to review further the Global Fund's performance and urge new and existing donors to put in more money. The UK (DFID) will continue to encourage donors to do as much as they can to fill any gaps in Global Fund resourcesin particular we will be working to encourage support from new donors, especially the oil producing countries and the private sector.

Haiti

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the election of Rene Preval as President of Haiti.

Gareth Thomas: The first round of presidential and parliamentary elections took place in Haiti on 7 February. On 16 February, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) declared Rene Preval the winner of the presidential elections with 51.15 per cent. of the vote. The European Union sent an observer mission to monitor the elections. The mission's preliminary declaration reports that polling took place in a calm environment, with only one or two instances of violence. There was a high voter turn out and we are hopeful that the elections mark a major step forward for Haiti's democratic process. The European Union mission will produce a full report on the election process once the second round of parliamentary elections has taken place.
	A representative from DFID attended the Haiti Donors Contact Group meeting held in Washington on 21 February. Donors congratulated Haiti on the result of the election, but recognised that there are still serious challenges ahead for the people of Haiti and their new Government.
	The UK Government will remain engaged with other members of the international community on issues concerning Haiti. We are providing over 20 million through our share of the commitments made by the European Commission, Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank at the 2004 Donors' Conference. In addition, the UK made a significant increase in its contribution to the Caribbean Development Bank's soft loans fund for its poverty reduction programme in Haitiour contribution will provide approximately 3 million a year over the next three years for Haiti. We are currently negotiating the possibility of placing an advisor in Haiti alongside other donor partners to assist in enhancing the effectiveness of the donor response. The UK also pays 7.4 per cent. of the costs of the UN peacekeeping mission.

HIV/AIDS

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent estimate is of the number of HIV/AIDS-related deaths in developing countries in a year, broken down by sex.

Gareth Thomas: DFID, along with the rest of the international community, relies on HIV and AIDS data from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). In 2005, the UNAIDS estimated that globally there were 2.6 million adult deaths and 570,000 child (under 15 years) deaths due to AIDS.
	The latest country level estimates of deaths due to AIDS are for the year 2003 and can be found in the UNAIDS 2004 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. This is available on the UNAIDS website: www.unaids.org/bangkok2004/GAR2004_pdf/UNAIDS GlobalReport2004_en.pdf
	At a regional level, adult and child deaths are not estimated separately, nor are the numbers disaggregated by gender. The following table shows estimates for 2005.
	
		
			  Number of adult and child deaths due to AIDS in 2005 
			 Region Actual Range(31) 
		
		
			 Sub-Saharan Africa 2.4 million 2.12.7 million 
			 North Africa and Middle East 58,000 25,000145,000 
			 South and South-East Asia 480,000 290,000740,000 
			 East Asia 41,000 20,00068,000 
			 Oceania 3,600 1,7008,200 
			 Latin America 66,000 52,00086,000 
			 Caribbean 24,000 16,00040,000 
			 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 62,000 39,00091,000 
			 Western and Central Europe 12,000 15,000 
			 North America 18,000 9,00030,000 
			 Total 3.1 million 2.83.6 million 
		
	
	(31) The ranges around the estimates in this table define the boundaries within which the actual numbers lie, based on the best information available.

Internally Displaced Persons

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of (a) male and (b) female internally displaced persons in (i) Colombia, (ii) Algeria, (iii) Angola, (iv) the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (v) Cote d'Ivoire, (vi) Kenya, (vii) Somalia, (viii) Sudan, (ix) Uganda, (x) Zimbabwe, (xi) Iraq, (xii) Bangladesh, (xiii) India, (xiv) Indonesia, (xv) Myanmar and (xvi) Sri Lanka.

Hilary Benn: The estimated number of internally displaced persons in each of the countries are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Colombia 1,580,3963,563,505 
			 Algeria 1,000,000 
			 Angola 91,240 
			 DRC 1,664,000 
			 Cote d'lvoire 500,000 
			 Kenya 381,924 
			 Somalia 370,000400,000 
			 Sudan 5,355,000 
			 Uganda 1,740,498 
			 Zimbabwe 569,685 
			 Iraq 1,200,000 
			 Bangladesh 500,000 
			 India 600,000+ 
			 Indonesia 342,000600,000 
			 Myanmar 540,000 
			 Sri Lanka 341,175 
		
	
	Source:
	Internally Displaced Monitoring Centre (based on estimates from sources including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the ED and UN Office for the Co-ordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
	It has not been possible to source data for internally displaced persons broken down on the basis of gender as the Internally Displaced Monitoring Centre, who provide the most reliable and comprehensive data on internal displacement, say that
	such information is rarely available, as in most countries affected by internal displacement, no systematic surveys have been conducted.
	Their Global Overview of Trends and Developments in Internal Displacement published in 2004 estimated that women and children account for between 70 and 80 per cent. of all internally displaced persons worldwide.

Internally Displaced Persons

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff in his Department are assigned to work on issues related to internally displaced persons.

Hilary Benn: DFID has a core team of three full-time and five part-time staff working on forced migration issues, which includes work relating to refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). In addition, throughout DFID there are many staff in country programmes who work on IDP issues concerning their countries as and when these occur. Due to the unpredictable nature of the situations that cause internal displacement, it is hard to quantify the number of staff that are engaged at any one time.

Internally Displaced Persons

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions he has raised the issue of internally displaced persons with his Government counterparts from (a) Colombia, (b) Algeria, (c) Angola, (d) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (e) Cote d'Ivoire, (f) Kenya, (g) Somalia, (h) Sudan, (i) Uganda, (j) Zimbabwe, (k) Iraq, (l) Bangladesh, (m) India, (n) Indonesia, (o) Myanmar and (p) Sri Lanka in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: I have consistently raised the issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with government counterparts in Uganda and Sudan. DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly raise issues of IDPs in a number of other countries of concern, including Iraq. DFID joined other humanitarian donors in a joint statement to express concern and rally the international community to provide assistance to those displaced in Zimbabwe in November.

Internally Displaced Persons

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has (a) pledged, (b) committed and (c) spent on programmes aimed to benefit internally displaced persons in (i) Colombia, (ii) Algeria, (iii) Angola, (iv) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (v) Cote d'Ivoire, (vi) Kenya, (vii) Somalia, (viii) Sudan, (ix) Uganda, (x) Zimbabwe, (xi) Iraq, (xii) Bangladesh, (xiii) India, (xiv) Indonesia, (xv) Myanmar, (xvi) Sri Lanka and (xvii) in total in each year since 1997.

Hilary Benn: DFID provides Humanitarian Assistance, such as shelter and medical care in emergencies, to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), refugees and other vulnerable people, through its country programmes. We do not disaggregate the amount spent specifically on IDPs from the total Humanitarian Assistance. The following table provides figures for humanitarian spend since 1997 for the requested countries. We do not hold separate information on pledges or commitments. It is unlikely that pledges or commitments would differ from spend.
	
		Bilateral Humanitarian Assistance (HA) to Designated Countries since
		
			 Destination 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Algeria 70,555 3,339 4,955  150,000  324,038 5,799 
			 Angola 1,500,000 2,500,000 3,236,425 2,240,178 2,191,312 6,974,399 4,452,264 2,186,823 
			 Co(r)te d'Ivoire 98,499 36,954   250,000 700,000 200,000 296,016 
			 DRC 806,935 369,794 1,256,946 3,036,086 5,471,321 12,099,347 16,257,584 22,476,819 
			 Kenya 1,337,996 4,621,733 2,542,298 12,463,111 3,413,358 1,473,521 228,551 5,517,057 
			 Somalia 1,047,281 1,079,459 372,475 1,234,680 1,637,637 2,919,590 3,171,561 3,543,346 
			 Sudan 4,337,079 23,496,775 2,773,863 4,491,075 5,164,105 16,337,941 21,872,096 77,965,269 
			 Uganda 657,205 360,269 580,562 535,135 784,782 3,477,988 7,768,171 11,850,714 
			 Zimbabwe 41,404 179,732 212,461 225,455 7,242,305 23,259,500 23,959,598 13,753,181 
			 Colombia 166,398 857,100 265,737 223,859 17,141 3,300   
			 Bangladesh 365,737 15,742,296 745,431 3,496,343 1,780,616 226,404 12,695 25,037,885 
			 Burma 215,650 285,055 206,913 1,030,033 2,088,012 3,163,205 577,504 1,005,000 
			 India 511,936 60,954 3,941,315 20,554,645 6,872,102 5,216,553 1,398,973 441,714 
			 Indonesia 461,300   822,882 750,000 1,500,000  11,123,271 
			 Iraq 3,350,504 5,749,116 6,584,659 9,545,325 7,759,652 18,853,455 110,051,848 21,382,898 
			 Total 14,968,480 55,342,574 22,724,041 59,898,969 45,572,343 96,205,203 190,274,882 196,585,791 
		
	
	In addition DFID provides unearmarked core funding to UN agencies, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and International organisations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who provide assistance to IDPs in country. Since 1997, this has included 76.5 million to the UNHCR and 125 million to ICRC. DFID has provided 2.2 million targeted funding for non-governmental organisations (NGO)s since 1997 for IDP projects, such as the Brookings Institution-University of Berne Project on Internal Displacement.
	In Iraq, our humanitarian spending, as shown above, includes 1.7 million which we allocated to the UK NGO AMAR for their work on IDPs. The United Nations have also assisted IDPs in Iraq. DFID has contributed over 110 million to the UN for their work in Iraq since 2003.

Internally Displaced Persons

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with (a) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and (b) his European counterparts about the UNHCR's proposal for a central fund for internally displaced persons.

Hilary Benn: The central fund is the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is being launched on 9 March in New York. The UN has agreed to reform the CERF, which will enable UN humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to provide a more predictable and timely response to emergencies, including to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)s, by ensuring that initial funding is available immediately to support rapid response to humanitarian crises and address critical humanitarian needs in under-funded emergencies.
	During 2005, DFID Ministers and senior officials held a range of discussions about the role of the CERF with international partners, including European counterparts and UN agencies. Last year, I wrote to EC counterparts seeking their support for the CERF. In October, I raised the issue when I addressed the Informal Humanitarian Affairs Committee on UN reform, and at the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers and, in October, my hon. Friend discussed the CERF with the High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres.
	The CERF will include, but is not exclusively for IDPs. The UK will be the largest contributor, and has pledged 40 million. Total pledges to date amount to around $187 million.

Internally Displaced Persons

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' proposal for a central fund for internally displaced persons.

Hilary Benn: The central fund is the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The UN has recently approved reform of the CERF, so as to enable UN humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to provide a more predictable and timely response to emergencies, including to internally displaced persons (IDPs). The fund aims to ensure that initial funding is available immediately to support rapid response to humanitarian crises and address critical humanitarian needs in under-funded emergencies. In December 2004, I put forward the proposal for a global humanitarian fund for improved response to emergencies; I will attend the launch of the CERF on 9 March in York.
	DFID's assessment is that the CERF will be valuable in enabling the UN to respond faster when crisis strikes and to achieve more equitable levels of funding between crises. It will be important that the UN develops arrangements with major NGOs so as to be able to transfer funds quickly to non-governmental organisations (NGO) implementing partners, in cases where NGOs are best-placed to deliver the necessary response.
	The CERF will include, but not be exclusively for IDPs. The UK will be the largest contributor to the fund. We have pledged 40 million. Total pledges so far amount to around $187 million.

Kenya

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Government of Kenya regarding recent reports of corruption in that country; and what effect it will have on international assistance offered by the UK to Kenya.

Hilary Benn: I had frank discussions with President Kibaki about corruption when I visited Kenya in January 2006. Since then considerable action, including the removal of three senior Ministers, has taken place in response to public pressure following the release of the Githongo dossier and the release of the Goldenberg Report. This is an encouraging start but Kenyans are calling for more to demonstrate full political accountability.
	I do not agree that the UK should cut development assistance. Most of the development agencies, including DFID, feel that just because poor people live in a country where corruption is a major problem, it does not mean that they do not deserve our assistance. Indeed much of our assistance is directed towards trying to prevent future corruption through improved financial management, procurement, better governance, justice, law and order. The bulk of our assistance (over 70 per cent.) to Kenya improves lives. Our support will mean textbooks for each of the 18,500 primary schools in Kenya and 12,000 new classrooms. It will also deliver 11 million insecticide treated bednets, saving 167,000 children's lives. We have provided 23.7 million to drought affected regions of Kenya since December 2005.
	The UK does not provide direct budget support to Kenya precisely because of our concerns about corruption, all DFID's projects have rigorous safeguards to ensure that our assistance is not being misdirected. Unless there is more evidence of Government of Kenya commitment to political accountability then the prospects for budget support from us and from others look very remote.

Latin America

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the levels of (a) poverty and (b) inequality in Latin America and of whether levels are being reduced sustainably.

Gareth Thomas: According to national poverty line data collected by the United Nations, the percentage of the population living in poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean decreased from 48.3 per cent. in 1990 to 42.9 per cent. in 2004. Levels of extreme poverty, whereby a person's basic food needs cannot be met, decreased from 22.5 per cent. to 18.6 per cent. over the same time period. Extreme poverty rates in the region differ considerably across countries. In Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Paraguay, more than 30 per cent. of the population live below the extreme poverty line. More than half of the total population in Latin America living in extreme poverty is concentrated in the largest countries: Brazil (25 per cent.), Mexico (14 per cent.) and Colombia (12 per cent.). The extreme poverty rate is higher among indigenous and afro-descendant people, ranging from 1.6 times higher than the rate of the rest of the population in Colombia to 7.9 times in Paraguay.
	There are very high levels of inequality in Latin America. In most countries, the share of total income of the richest 20 per cent. of households is between 10 and 16 times larger than the poorest 20 per cent. of households. Income inequality levels are highest in Bolivia, where the poorest 20 per cent. of households receive only 2.2 per cent. of income and in Brazil where the richest 20 per cent. of households receive 62.4 per cent. of income. Between 1990 and 2003, income inequality increased in Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil and decreased in Colombia, Nicaragua and Honduras.
	At current rates of progress, Latin America is unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Target to halve the proportion of people living on less than a $1 a day by 2015. Although substantial progress was made in reducing poverty in the early 1990s, progress slowed down subsequently due to the economic crises experienced in many countries in 2000 and 2001. Poverty has been reduced more rapidly in countries that have relatively high levels of human development such as Chile, Uruguay and Brazil. Conversely, countries with low levels of human development such as Honduras and Bolivia have made the lowest levels of progress. Latin America is on track to meet MDGs on universal primary education; gender equality and reduction of child mortality but faces huge challenges in meeting those for maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS, and environmental sustainability.

Lesotho

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what help and funding is in place to develop twinning and civic co-operation between the UK and Lesotho.

Hilary Benn: DFID has agreed with the Government of Lesotho to support the implementation of four key priorities in their Poverty Reduction Strategy: HIV/AIDS; job creation food security; governance, safety and security. The UK does not provide support for twinning or civic co-operation within these areas.

Lesotho

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what help has been given to Lesotho to help combat HIV/AIDS among (a) children and (b) adults in each of the last seven years.

Hilary Benn: DFID has provided support to Lesotho for HIV prevention and control, through two channels: first, through our bilateral programme when support for HIV/AIDS commenced in 2004; and second, through regional programmes since 200102. The bulk of this assistance is directed towards the adult population, though the general nature of it helps the entire population, including children. Due to the nature of the regional programmes DFID cannot provide, in all cases, detailed financial figures that solely reflect Lesotho's direct benefit from regional programmes.
	DFID's bilateral support to HIV/AIDS responds to the priorities identified in the Government's Poverty Reduction Strategy. Commencing in 2004, it provides a total of 1.8 million over three years. Funding is directed towards mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in economic and poverty planning, strengthening the private sector's response to HIV, and facilitating the establishment of an effective National AIDS Commission and UN response.
	Over the last five years, we have supported the Southern African Development Community (SADC) implement a programme for HIV prevention. Resources committed to Lesotho include: 830,000 for condom social marketing; 320,000 for behaviour change and communication; and 41,000 for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
	DFID has supported the ground-breaking Soul City programme in Southern Africa. This 14 million commitment is directed at both children and adults and provides information and guidance through multiple media channels.
	DFID has recently agreed a 2 million programme with the East and Southern Africa regional office of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). We expect this support will increase the technical capacity of the UN to respond to the epidemic in Lesotho.
	We have just recently approved an 18 million programme for the next three financial years, concentrating upon support for orphans and vulnerable children. This programme will be implemented by UNICEF and covers the six worst affected Southern African countries, including Lesotho. This means a rough allocation of 3 million for children over the next three years.

Lesotho

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when a Secretary of State in the Department for International Development last visited Lesotho.

Hilary Benn: In July 2002 Baroness Amos, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Africa and Commonwealth affairs, visited Lesotho.

Lesotho

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures he is taking to promote good governance in Lesotho.

Hilary Benn: DFID has agreed with the Government of Lesotho to support the implementation of four key priorities in their Poverty Reduction Strategy: HIV/AIDS; job creation food security; and governance, safety and security.
	DFID has been supporting good governance in Lesotho since the General Election in May 2002. Since then, our support is directed towards the following:
	helping the Lesotho Revenue Authority to address corruption and raise revenue;
	strengthening the government's public financial management, particularly the Public Accounts Committee, to make their systems work better; and
	supporting civil society's ability to increase government transparency and improve government accountability to Basotho taxpayers.

Liberia

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) direct and (b) indirect aid his Department provided to Liberia in 200405.

Hilary Benn: DFID supported Liberia with 6 million of humanitarian aid in financial year 200405, via a range of humanitarian agencies. It was used for basic health care, emergency medical services, water and sanitation, humanitarian air services, protection for displaced people, and their education and re-integration.
	In addition, the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) process was assisted with 3 million (2 million via the UN Trust Fund and 1 million for UNICEF's Programmes of Education and Reintegration for Children Associated with the Fighting Forces).
	DFID also began support for governance reforms with initial expenditure of approximately 200,000.
	Figures for DFID support to Liberia through multilateral in 200405 are not yet available from the Development Assistance Committee. The latest (estimated) information dates from 2003 when DFID provided 1 million through the EC, and 700,000 through the United Nations.

Mexico

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance he gave to Mexico following the recent hurricanes.

Gareth Thomas: Following recent hurricanes, Mexico showed sufficient national capacity to respond without international assistance. Therefore there was no request for international assistance by the Mexican Government.
	Had there been a request, DFID would have been well placed to respond, as we have after other hurricanes in the region. Throughout the last hurricane season the DFID Caribbean office was strengthened to enhance tropical storm monitoring, preparedness, assessment and response capacity. DFID also had relief supplies on one of the UK frigates based in the Caribbean.

Middle East

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2006 to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), Official Report, column 1806W, on the Middle East, what assessment he has made of the implications for the allocation of aid of the post-election policy statements of the leadership of Hamas on the recognition of Israel, the renunciation of violence and the acceptance of previous obligations and agreements.

Hilary Benn: There is currently an interim administration in charge of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Until a new government takes office and makes clear its position on the conditions in the Quartet statement of 30 January, it is too early to say what the UK Government's future aid programme to the Palestinians might look like.

Montserrat

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid was given by the UK to Montserrat in (a) 1980 and (b) 2004.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's aid to Montserrat in 1980 was 1.2 million and 20.3 million in 2004.

Multilateral Institutions

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on mechanisms for identifying and correcting poor performance by multilateral institutions.

Hilary Benn: DFID is committed to monitoring the effectiveness of the multilateral organisations it supports. During 2004, we conducted an assessment of 23 multilateral agencies looking at their internal systems. We used a common multilateral effectiveness framework (MEFF) to better understand how well they were organised to deliver their objectives. The assessments were carried out in partnership with the agencies concerned.
	DFID uses the results of the MEFF in conjunction with other assessments, such as the surveys carried out by the Multilateral Organisations Performance Assessment Network, and the reporting of multilateral themselves, to assess multilateral performance and to inform partnership decisions.
	At the country level, we assess the impact and effectiveness of multilaterals with whom we have a relationship drawing on the views of partner Governments and donors. This evidence based approach helps us engage with multilaterals at a number of levels and informs our decisions around financing.
	In addition, we undertake monitoring of multilateral organisations working on particular issues, for example the delivery of humanitarian services. These are framed by institutional strategies which set out jointly agreed objectives between DFID and the organisation linked to financial support. The aim is to foster a transparent relationship which set outs clear principals and targets linked explicitly to improving effectiveness.

Multilateral Institutions

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on consolidation within the multilateral system.

Hilary Benn: 2005 was an important year with real progress made as a result of a number of events; the publications of the UN Secretary General's 'In Larger Freedom' report and Commission for Africa report, the G8 summit, Live8, the Make Poverty History Campaign, the Millennium Development Review and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) trade talks. 2006 and beyond, presents significant challenges as we have to deliver on the commitments made in 2005.
	An effective multilateral system will be important to delivering on these commitments. Our vision and the role the UK is playing to support a consolidated and effective multilateral system will be set out in the forthcoming White Paper on international development.
	We have already welcomed the announcement at the millennium summit review on the establishment of a Peace Building Commission and Human Rights Council, both of whom have an important role to play towards meeting the millennium development goals (MDG)s.
	We are committed to revisiting the structure of the multilateral system (the UN, EU, multilateral banks) and their mandates to ensure that overlap is reduced. We want to see the right agency or organisation, focusing on its area of strength, in the right context with the funding levels it needs to deliver. For example the proliferation of UN agencies has created a complex structure where overlap is evident. We are working toward a more effective and efficient multilateral system which is able to respond to the changing global context.
	We also strongly welcome the Secretary General's recent announcement of an international panel to review the UN's development work. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is a member of this panel and we will be putting forward the case for a strong development role for the UN in the future, involving more stable and predictable financing to meet clear objectives. This would build on the considerable work already begun by the UN's various specialised agencies, funds and programmes to co-ordinate their efforts more closely at the country level. We will also take advantage of the opportunity presented by the White Paper to set out what we think are important roles for both the EU and the multilateral development banks in the 21st century.

Multilateral Institutions

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria his Department uses to select multilateral partners.

Hilary Benn: The international system, which includes the multilaterals, was designed for the challenges of the post world war II period. Today we are facing new challenges including energy security, climate change, health pandemics, corruption and organised crime. We need a new vision that is fit for purpose in today's world, within which we need to clarify the role of multilaterals. DFID is particularly focused on this as we contribute around 40 per cent. of our total development assistance through the multilateral agencies to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs).
	We are working with the international community to agree objectives on reform. These include the role of the United Nations, European Union and international financial institutions in relation to priorities such as addressing insecurity, natural resources depletion and improving humanitarian assistance.
	Looking ahead to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007, we are looking at multilaterals and assessing their impact against the contribution bilateral programmes make towards achievement of the MDGs This analysis will help us identify criteria for selecting multilateral partners and to help us make financing decisions which have the greatest impact on the lives of the world's poor people.

Multilateral Institutions

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his assessment of the Multilateral Effectiveness Framework.

Hilary Benn: The Multilateral Effectiveness Framework (MEFF), a major assessment of the organisational effectiveness of 23 multilateral agencies was completed in 2004 and the results shared with the respective agencies. Areas of both comparative strength and weakness were identified. The key areas of weakness are being given priority in the tracking over multilateral performance over the next two years.
	A key aspect of effectiveness assessed by the MEFF was the degree to which multilateral were improving their focus on results, including by supporting national systems and poverty reduction plans, delegating more responsibility to country offices, and monitoring their own contribution to development outcomes.
	The assessments highlighted the positive impact of recent reforms. A significant number of multilaterals were able to demonstrate improvements in how they monitored their own effectiveness and how they managed by results. There was also evidence of greater preparedness to work in partnership with each other.
	Through the MEFF, DFID has developed a greater understanding about its multilateral partners, and we will continue to support them to address the areas of relative weakness the individual assessments identified.

Overseas Health Workers

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues regarding employment of overseas health workers in the UK.

Gareth Thomas: The employment of overseas health workers in the UK is a complex problem which has been discussed in some depth across government and in particular with the Department of Health and with the Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly.
	As a result of these discussions, we have put in place measures to address the pull factor of migration to the UK of health workers and to promote ethical international recruitment. The UK has adopted systematic policies including:
	Guidance and a revised code of practice embodying ethical principles for the international recruitment of healthcare workers.
	An agreed list of developing countries that should not be targeted for recruitment, which has prevented the NHS and other major health employers from actively recruiting from 150 of the poorest and middle income countries.
	A memorandum of understanding has been signed with South Africa, for qualified healthcare professionals to undertake time limited placements.
	Part of the problem is the chronic under-investment in health workers and health systems in developing countries. This results in low job satisfaction for health workers, which, combined with very low salaries, leads to migration of health workers to the UK and other developed countries. The UK Government support efforts to increase the supply of health workers, through, for example support to the health sector plan and budget or general budget support. This can support payment of salaries and allowances, and increased production of health workers. The UK support is also geared to improving conditions for health workers through improving health systems/health sector policies and increasing innovative approaches to service provision. This is an area which is covered in DFID's policy paper Moving Out of PovertyMaking Migration Work Better for Poor People, which has just been approved by Ministers.
	Since 2000, the UK Government have spent over 650 million on health sector support in Africa, primarily to strengthen health systems including training and retraining health workers. In Malawi for example, we have invested 100 million over six years towards the Sector Wide Approach for health to strengthen health services and increase access to basic health services. The Malawi programme has three main elements:
	improving incentives for recruitment and retention of Malawian staff through salary increases for 11 professional and technical groups5,400 health workers now receiving 52 per cent. salary top-up and over 700 new staff recruited.
	expanding domestic training capacity by over 50 per cent., including doubling the number of nurses and tripling doctors being trained;
	using international volunteer physicians and nurse tutors as a stop-gap measure while more Malawians are being trained.

Palestine

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the extent of misappropriation of aid received by the Palestinian Authority.

Hilary Benn: Since 2004, UK and European Community (EC) financial support to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) budget has been provided through a Reform Trust Fund, managed by the World Bank. Funding is conditional on the achievement of benchmarks for accountability and reform, progress against which is carefully monitored.
	There has been recent media coverage of corruption investigations by the Palestinian Attorney General. These investigations have focused on possible abuses by officials in dealings with private companies and date from before the Reform Trust Fund was created. There is no evidence to suggest that budget support to the PA provided by the UK or other donors through the Reform Trust Fund has been diverted to private bank accounts or otherwise misappropriated.
	Prior to 2004, the UK did not provide budgetary support to the PA. The EC did provide such aid to the PA and its programme was reviewed by the European Anti-Fraud Office. This review found no evidence to suggest that EC aid had been misused.

Population Control

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received on population control.

Gareth Thomas: The UK all-party group on population, development and reproductive health has invited DFID to contribute to its Hearing in the spring on Population GrowthImpact on the Millennium Development Goals. DFID will be submitting evidence and I look forward to reading the report of the Hearing in due course.
	DFID also regularly receives representations about the funding of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in connection with allegations that it supports population control. We are satisfied that the UNFPA does not support population control, but works to promote reproductive choice within its population programmes.

Rwanda

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much income the tea and coffee market generated for Rwanda in 200405; and what percentage of the country's exports it accounted for.

Hilary Benn: Rwanda's tea export receipts for the years 2004 and 2005 were US$22 million and US$26 million respectively. The corresponding figures for coffee were US$29 million and US$39 million.
	Total export receipts for the two years were $90 million (Government of Rwanda/International Monetary Fund (IMF) figure) and $123 million (provisional figure) respectively, so tea and coffee together accounted for 54 per cent. of total export receipts over the period.
	Note:
	(Figures from compilations by the Rwanda National Innovation and Competitiveness Programme, On The Frontier Group.)

Rwanda

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of UK aid to Rwanda has been directed to improving healthcare facilities in the last five years.

Hilary Benn: Although difficult to calculate, it is estimated that about 810 per cent of all external aid to Rwanda in recent years has been allocated to health.
	The Government of Rwanda (GoR) attaches great importance to health in its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The GoR Ministry of Health (MoH) has a strong national health strategic plan (20052009) which includes improvement of health care facilities. The health strategic plan is funded through the GoR budget, which is partly funded by general budget support (GBS) provided by donors. Health is also funded through donor support provided off-budget.
	The Government of Rwanda (GoR) budget allocation to health has increased substantially over the last five years. In 2003 total government expenditure allocated to the health sector was 4.4 per cent. This increased to 8 per cent. in 2005 and 8.4 per cent. in 2006.
	
		Percentage
		
			  2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Proportion of general budget support as a percentage of external aid 40.09 37.18 (32)36.89 
			 Proportion of all external aid to health 7.76 9.92 (32)8.81 
			 GoR health expenditure (as percentage of GoR expenditure) allocated in budget. n/a 4.4 4.9 
		
	
	(32) Data for 2004 is programmed estimates.
	Notes:
	1. Data source for first two rows is Ministry of Finance, (Registry of External Aid to Rwanda, Volume 1, April 2004)
	2. A Public Expenditure Review (PER) is currently underway in health, which will provide more up to date data.
	3. Preliminary findings of a 2005 Ministry of Health donor mapping study shows a two fold increase in external aid to the health sector between 200405 (with an increase from approx 4080 million US$).

Sierra Leone

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by (a) the UK and (b) the international community to increase capacity in the mining and fishing industries in Sierra Leone.

Hilary Benn: DFID has funded an adviser to the President of Sierra Leone since July 2002 to work on the development of a diamond strategy for the sector for Sierra Leone, as part of its overall policy on minerals which the Government of Sierra Leone ratified in 2003. Since that time, we have been working with the Government of Sierra Leone and other donors, including the World Bank, European Commission and the United States Agency for International which includes establishing an appropriate legal and regulatory framework; creating the right business environment; strengthening the capacity of relevant government departments; and supporting non-governmental organisations. These steps will improve the transparency of management of diamonds in Sierra Leone. We also continue to actively support the implementation of the Kimberley process.
	A DFID programme of assistance is supporting the objectives set out in the mineral policy. It has two main aims: to maximise the economic and social benefits of the diamond sector to both the Government and the people of Sierra Leone; and to ensure that the benefits accrued from the sector are divided more equitably among those involved. The programme includes: provision of technical advice to the Office of the President; support to review and redraft the Mines and Minerals legislation; technical assistance to the Gold and Diamond Department (GDD) of the National Revenue Authority (NRA); support for the design and implementation of a cadastre system; technical assistance for the Ministry of Mineral Resources (MMR); support to build the capacity of the United Mineworkers Union (UMU); and support for the development of a business and statistical information service. Alongside the UK, the EC is also supporting capacity building in the Ministry of Mineral Resources through the provision of an adviser who is working on the reopening of Sierra Leone's Rutile Mine. The World Bank aim to begin implementing a sector-wide Mineral Project before the end of 2006.
	The problems of illegal fishing are considerable, with losses to sub-Saharan Africa estimated to be $1 billion per annum. DFID, in partnership with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), governments of the West Africa region and local fishing communities, supports a programme to increase local capacity to address poverty in fishing communities through better management of resources. Sierra Leone has participated in this programme and has access to the support that it provides.
	More recently, the UK along with a number of other governments has created a programme designed to address illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities, which both DFID and the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) support. In addition to the support being provided by the UK, the European Commission has recently approved a programme of support in Sierra Leone aimed at providing stock assessments to enhance the country's fisheries management capacity.

Somalia

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps have been taken by his Department to promote the transition from conflict in Somalia.

Hilary Benn: DFID provided considerable financial and diplomatic support to the 200204 national reconciliation conference in Kenya, which resulted in agreement on a transitional charter (or constitution) for Somalia, selection of a new transitional parliament, election of President Yusuf, and appointment of a Transitional Federal Government in January 2005. Since then DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff have been closely and continuously involved in international efforts to encourage Somali leaders to resolve their differences, and to make the transitional institutions work effectively for stability and reconstruction of the country. These efforts contributed to the new accord between the President and the Parliamentary Speaker reflected in their 'Aden Declaration' of January 2006, and the decision to proceed with the current session of the Somali Parliament in Baidoa after almost a year of disagreement within the transitional institutions and threatened conflict.
	In addition:
	We have supported efforts to develop a national security and stabilisation plan (NSSP) for Somalia, as called for in the UN Security Council Presidential Statement of July 2005, including financial support for a joint Somali/international community planning conference for the NSSP due to take place later this month;
	We facilitated a meeting of senior Somali police officers to develop plans for the new police force, and we have recently allocated a further $1.1 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-managed Rule of Law and Security Programme to help develop police, prisons, judiciary, legal and paralegal services throughout Somalia;
	We are supporting an International Dialogue for Peace Programme in Somalia which is bringing together Somali public and civil society bodies for a range community-level reconciliation and conflict prevention activities.

Somalia

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of reports that civilians in southern Somalia are dying from thirst as a result of drought.

Hilary Benn: The drought affecting parts of southern Somalia is considered to be the most severe for at least 10 years. This has meant that many wells have dried up entirely, and that those remaining are being overused. Many of the people in southern Somalia live by raising livestock and due to the exceptionally dry conditions this year they are having to travel further than usual to find pasture for their animals. We have also heard reports that in some cases this has resulted in people arriving at wells only to find them dry or unusable, but without the resources or ability to reach another well. This is a desperate situation. In addition, water is a commodity that is bought and sold in southern Somalia, so it is possible that people simply do not have the means to pay, although it is widely understood that people who are in desperate personal need are given water even if they are unable to pay.
	Deaths from thirst may well have occurred in some extreme cases, although the impact of reduced and poor quality water is much wider than this. There are additional deaths from water borne diseases, and the deadly combination of these diseases and malnutrition, plus the sheer burden in terms of time and money on households to keep themselves supplied with water are also taking a terrible toll.
	The UK is one of the leading donors to humanitarian relief efforts in Somalia. We are providing 7 million to the immediate relief effort to help enable the UN, NGOs and regional authorities to deliver urgently needed food aid, nutritional therapy, emergency water supplies and health care to those areas worst affected by drought.

South East Asia Earthquake

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government have allocated in response to the South East Asia earthquake; for what purposes; and what further aid (a) has been requested and (b) is planned.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has allocated 58 million to meet relief needs. The following table shows the breakdown of assistance to date.
	At the 19 November Donors' Conference, DFID pledged a grant of some 70 million to assist Pakistan with reconstruction and rehabilitation following the 8 October earthquake.
	The UK is planning a programming mission likely to take place during March where views of the Government of Pakistan and donors will be sought as to how best our funds can be directed to support the reconstruction effort.
	The first 5 million tranche of the reconstruction and rehabilitation support for reconstruction is available immediately. In consultation with international programme partners in Pakistan and the Governments of Pakistan we propose to make the following allocations for immediate reconstruction purposes:
	reconstructing critical bridges in the affected area, in order to support the whole reconstruction effort through rehabilitated road communications;
	training for teachers and administrators, in order to underpin support for rehabilitation of the education sector;
	TB prevention services and mental health support services in the earthquake affected areas.
	Our programming mission will now look at how to allocate the remaining 65 million.
	Annex 1DFID support to Pakistan earthquake
	
		
			 Partner Activity Amount () 
		
		
			 Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 
			 Oxfam 3,500 winterised family tents, 19,700 collapsible 10-litre jerry cans, 7,530 wool blankets, 40,000 sleeping mats, 20,000 tarpaulins 998,448 (in-kind) 
			 Oxfam Wat/san 560,000 
			 Islamic Relief 10,000 tarpaulins, 20,000 blankets, 1,000 winterised family tents 258,000 (in-kind) 
			 Christian Aid/ Church World Services 1,000 winterised tents in-kind; Programme for shelter, food and first aid. 2,000 tarps from Lahore (10,000) 310,000 (including 115,000 in-kind) 
			 Christian Aid Wat/san in NWFP 347,322 
			 Save the Children UK Provision of shelter, blankets, clothing, primary health care, psycho social support to children 300,000 
			 Save the Children UK Shelter 600,000 
			 Save the Children UK Livelihoods: cash for vulnerable families and village shopkeepers 887,681 
			 Save the Children India Shelter for India administered Kashmir 500,000 
			 Action Aid Food packages, health centres, psycho social support, and shelter; 1,250 tarps from Lahore (6,100) 306,100 
			 RSPN Tents, food, sanitation, water; 2,750 tarps from Lahore (13,500) 313,500 
			 RSPN Shelter, livelihoods and advocacy 205,083 
			 Mercy Corps Health units, emergency obstetrics and outreach 212,000 
			 International Health Partners Provision of various emergency medicines 50,000 
			 Norwegian Refugee Council Stoves and fuel 300,000 
			 Norwegian Refugee Council Shelter 700,000 
			 Norwegian Refugee Council Camp Management 850,000 
			 CAFOD Wat/san and shelter, and cash for work; 2,000 tarps from Lahore (10,000) 310,000 
			 IMC Mobile health clinics, primary health care training, distribution of hygiene kits 289,000 
			 GOAL 2,000 tarps from Lahore 10,000 
			 ACTED Shelter, toolkits and latrines 300,000 
			 ACTED Water and sanitation 637,356 
			 Action Against Hunger Wat/san 337,123 
			 Action Against Hunger Wat/San 258,228 
			 Internews Communication, support to journalist training, radio distribution 300,000 
			 Tearfund Shelter 498,964 
			 Merlin To set up two field trauma units in the Panj kot valley. Support to four primary health centres and health outreach via mobile units 800,000 
			 Australian Aid International Health 199,424 
			 Handicap International Health assistance and rehabilitation to disabled population 300,000 
			 HAPI Support to agency accountability mechanisms 45,402 
			 IRC Health assistance 300,000 
			 Solidarity Wat/san 314,055 
			 World Vision Shelter 499,244 
			 Sub-Total  13,096,930 
			
			 UN Agencies   
			 Flash Appeal: $549 million requested for 6 months 
			 WHO Shipment of health and trauma kits to Pakistan (covering 40,000 people for three months) and programme surveillance and response teams. one staff secondment three months. 670,000 
			 WHO Disease Early Warning System (DEWS) and Health Cluster Coordination 500,000 
			 OCHA HIC module + vehicle; other in-kind support (vehicles, staff secondments). 350,000 (in kind) 
			 OCHA Coordination and additional support to the HIC 750,000 
			 OCHA Support to Security Communications via ICT 286,862 
			 UNHAS Support for helicopters (including one refueler) 2,187,500 
			 UNHAS Helicopter support 1,400,000 
			 UNHAS Direct contracting of 4 Mil-8 medium lift helicopters to the UNHAS operation four months 4,100,000 
			 UNHAS 2 staff secondments 87,557 
			 UNJLC Staff secondments 50,000 
			 UNJLC Vehicle including shipping 70,000 
			 WFP Logistics support 800,000 
			 WFP EMOP food support 650,000 
			 WFP EMOP food support via International Humanitarian Partnership 75,758 
			 UNDSS Four vehicles to support UNDSS and relief worker safety and security 150, 000 (in kind) 
			 IOM Shelter packages including tents, stoves and cooking equipment, including two staff secondments. 830,000 
			 IOM Shelter materials and personnel support 1,000,000 
			 IOM 3,500 winterised tents 410,000 
			 Shelter Cluster Shelter materials 1,062,731 
			 UNICEF Water and sanitation, staff secondment 1,080,000 
			 UNICEF Water and Sanitation 870,000 
			 UNHCR Camp management, staff secondments 1,250,000 
			 UNHCR Airlift for 27, 000 stoves 126,493 
			 UNFPA 300,000 communal washing facilities for women and children in spontaneous and planned camps 75,168 
			 FAO Restoration of food security and protection of rural livelihoods among earthquake affected farmers, women and other vulnerable groups. 650,000 
			 Sub total allocated  19,482,069 
			
			 Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement  
			 ICRC Helicopters, winter clothing, tents and food in Pakistan administered Kashmir; one refueller. 2,577,500 
			 ICRC Pakistan Emergency Response Appeal January to March 2006 2,000,000 
			 IFRC Relief supplies for NWFP Pakistan 2,000,000 
			 Sub-Total  6,577,500 
			
			 MOD Operations   
			 MOD DFID marginal costs Up to 3,000,000 pledged 
			 MOD Three Chinooks deployed for 28 days until 25 November Not yet invoiced 
			 MOD C130 airlift of rations and water from Kabul 34,000 
			 MOD 40 tonnes of vegetarian rations and transport from UK to NATO Air Bridge 145,000 
			 MOD Airlift of two PUMA helicopters from Spain for use by ICRC 137,500 
			 Sub total allocated  (316,500) 
			 Sub total pledged  3,000,000 
			
			 DEC Airlift   
			 DEC Merlin (23 flights) 228,751 
			 DEC British Red Cross (21 flights) 1,730,437 
			 DEC Save the Children (10 flights) 503,162 
			 DEC Oxfam (7 flights) 353,875 
			 DEC Islamic Relief (4 flights) 420;000 
			 DEC World Vision (5 flights) 218,766 
			 DEC Christian Aid (3 flights) 346,080 
			 DEC Pakistan High Commission [1 flight) 126,000 
			 DEC WFP 690 
			 DEC Staff and miscellaneous costs 78,676 
			 Sub total allocated  4,006,437 
			
			 NATO Support   
			 NATO Charter heavy lift aircraft to transport priority relief items from UN warehouses in Europe and the Middle East to Pakistan 1,083,583 
			 NATO 59 Independent Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers to work under NATO command for shelter construction in high areas. Up to 2,500,000 pledged 
			 NATO Airlift of Rubbhalls for food storageOslo to Islamabad Up to 80,000 
			
			 ECHO   
			 ECHO DFID contribution towards ECHO funding 1,600,000 
			
			 DFID Pakistan   
			 Various organizations To be programmed to support local humanitarian efforts 1,000,000 pledged 
			 Allocated so far: (1 million pledged reflected in total below)   
			 Birdlife International Immediate relief activities 17,000 
			 RWSSP Wat/san 385,587 
			 RSPN Shelter, livelihoods and advocacy 200,000 
			
			 DFID Direct Costs   
			 Direct costs Search and rescue teams; DFID assessment teams, operating costs 900,000 
			 Total  53,326,519

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what interim targets he has set for achieving (a) the agreed efficiency target for his Department and (b) the civil service work force reductions targets for (i) gross reductions in posts, (ii) net reductions in posts and (iii) relocations for his Department, as set out in the 2004 Spending Review; what the baseline figures are against which these interim targets are assessed; on what dates they will take effect; and by what dates these interim targets are intended to be met.

Hilary Benn: DFID has agreed the following interim targets and dates:
	(a) For the agreed efficiency target of 420 million by March 2008, the Department has set intermediate targets of 160 million by March 2006 and 303 million by March 2007.
	(b) For civil service work force numbers the interim targets set by the Department are 1,820 by March 2006 and 1,715 by March 2007. The final target of 1,610 will be achieved by March 2008. The gross reduction compared to the April 2004 baseline of 1,780 therefore represents 170 staff. DFID does not have targets for net reductions in post. On relocations 75 posts will have been moved by March 2006 with the full target of 85 achieved by March 2007.
	In December 2005, DFID agreed a revised Efficiency Technical Note which contains baseline figures for all its efficiency targets. The Technical Note is available to the public on DFID's website (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/efficiency-technical-note.pdf).

Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what baseline figures he is using for assessing progress on his Department's targets to (a) increase the percentage of bilateral programme spending going to budget support, (b) improve the value for money of aid projects, (c) increase the level of EC aid going to low income countries, (d) raise support for the International Development Association replenishment round, (e) deliver cashable savings on administration costs and (f) improve procurement; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets.

Hilary Benn: In December 2005 DFID agreed a revised Efficiency Technical Note which contains baseline figures for all its efficiency targets. The Technical Note is available to the public on DFID's website (http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/efficiency-technical-note.pdf).
	To 31 December 2005, DFID has achieved 41.1 million of efficiency gains. Against each target, progress is as follows:
	(a) For the percentage of bilateral programme spending going to budget support: Figures remain provisional until the end of year outturns after the end of March 2006. Forecasts for 200506 predict that 922 million will be channelled through programmatic support, an increase of 242 million over the baseline. Efficiencies in the first nine months therefore amount to 36 million.
	(b) For the value for money of bilateral projects: Data from quarter 3 200506 does not yet show any improvement on the baseline.
	(c) For the level of EC aid going to low income countries: Figures will become available from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) after the end of the financial year.
	(d) For DFID's contribution to the International Development Association: The conclusion of negotiations for IDA 14 (the latest replenishment, covering the period 200508) has resulted in a 59 per cent. increase in the basic contribution over IDA 13. Efficiency gains will be declared as promissory notes are drawn down. This will now take place in 200607.
	(e) For administration costs: Efficiency gains for this target will commence in 200607.
	(f) For procurement savings: Results from the last nine months show greater than expected success, with 5.1 million of cashable savings made against a target of 3 million by March 2006.

St. Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid has been given to St. Helena in each of the last eight years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has provided the following aid to St. Helena over the last eight years:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 199798 8,765,000 
			 199899 8,806,000 
			 19992000 9,362,000 
			 200001 10,115,000 
			 200102 10,106,000 
			 200203 9,555,000 
			 200304 10,525,000 
			 200405 14,481,000 
		
	
	St. Helena also benefits from DFID's 'regional' Overseas Territories programme. Individual country shares of this cannot be attributed without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	The European Development Fund also allocates funds for the UK Overseas Territories. Cumulative allocations since 1993 total approximately 86.33 million (the UK share of which is about 10.79 million or about 7.2 million). This sum, some of which is still being committed to or spent on approved development activities, has been shared among eligible UK Overseas Territories. St. Helena's share (which includes provision for Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) is 18,150 million (approximately 12.3 million).

Sudan

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UN mandate in respect of Darfur.

Hilary Benn: There is currently no UN mandate covering peacekeeping operations in Darfur. Peace support operations there are at present being conducted by African Union personnel (AMIS) on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding between the African Union (AU) and the Government of Sudan. The UK and other international partners recently participated in a joint assessment mission with the AU. This concluded that AMIS' current mandate is adequate but that the African Union Mission's capacity needs to develop further if it is to be able to carry out the tasks required. We will continue to assist the AU in this.

Tax Competition

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the impact of tax competition on developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development's (DFID) second White Paper, Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor, December 2000, drew attention to the dangers for developing countries of tax competitionthe process whereby Governments offer ever more generous tax concessions (such as tax holidays) in an attempt to attract new investment.
	Tax competition can have harmful effects if it compromises Governments' ability to raise revenue to fund essential services.
	DFID has supported several international studies in this area (for example, by the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). While specific features of a tax regime may influence some investment decisions in some countries at some times, the general conclusion of this work is that selective tax incentives can unnecessarily reduce Government revenues while having little effect in attracting new investment. Consistent with this finding, DFID's policy work emphasises that developing countries should focus on improving the quality of their overall investment climates for domestic and foreign investors alike, rather than competing on taxes.

UN Peacebuilding Commission

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the establishment of a UN peacebuilding commission.

Hilary Benn: The UN Millennium Review Summit agreed to establish the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) on 16 September 2005. The Commission was brought into being on 20 December 2005 by joint decision of the UN Security Council and General Assembly. Its functions are to (a) marshal resources for peacebuilding; (b) advise and approve strategies for reconstruction and institution building and (c) extend the period of international attention on peacebuilding in countries emerging from conflict.
	Work to appoint the members of the Peacebuilding Commission's organisational committee is currently under way. Once the remaining members are chosen, we expect the Commission to rapidly identify priority countries for its support.
	I believe that the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission is a significant step forward in assisting countries to emerge from conflict and towards sustainable development. The Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are working closely with the UN Secretariat to ensure that the Commission is able to start its work as soon as possible.

World Trade Organisation

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the European Commissioner for External Trade since the World Trade Organisation's trade talks in Hong Kong.

Gareth Thomas: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development have had any direct discussions with the Trade Commissioner since Hong Kong. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has discussed the prospects for a successful conclusion to the current round of trade negotiations and how to achieve it.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academic Earnings

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual earnings of full-time members of the academic staff of universities in the West Midlands were in the last year for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures are shown in the table:
	
		Average salary(33) of full-time HE academic staffHigher education institutions in (a) West Midlands Government office region and (b) England in 2004/05
		
			  Average salary () 
			 Grade West Midlands England 
		
		
			 Professors 62,800 61,600 
			 Senior Lecturers and Researchers 42,200 43,600 
			 Lecturers 34,300 35,000 
			 Researchers 26,800 26,800 
			 Other Grades 30,200 41,400 
		
	
	(33) Average salary is derived from the gross basic salary per annum, in pounds sterling as stated in the contract at the reference date of HESA's staff count (July 31) or at the end date of the contract if earlier. It does not include any regular payments for additional duties, responsibility allowances or honoraria, regardless of their source. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	HESA staff record data 2004/05

Academies

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases of children excluded from academies have been referred to an independent educational tribunal for appeal since academies were introduced.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not collected centrally.

Active Citizenship

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to promote active citizenship among young people.

Jacqui Smith: Citizenship became a statutory subject in the National Curriculum in 2002. Promoting the development of skills of participation and responsible action is a fundamental part of the citizenship curriculum. Local education authorities and school governing bodies are now legally obliged to take account of guidance from the Secretary of State on consulting pupils when making decisions that affect them. Similarly, we have legislated to allow governing bodies to appoint young people as associate members. In addition, the Government are actively promoting school councils and mock elections in all schools, and encouraging schools to engage pupils as peer mentors and mediators. Young people are also engaged in the school inspection process as Ofsted now seek pupils' opinions when writing inspection reports. We are also funding the dissemination of guidance to help schools implement Active Citizens in Schools, which extends the principles of the successful Millennium Volunteers to 13 to 16-year-olds through citizenship lessons.

Adult Education

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated to adult education in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) the area corresponding as closely as possible to Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The Department allocates funds for the post-16 education and training sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) working through 47 local offices. The LSC was established in 2001 bringing the planning and funding of post-16 education together under one body within a framework set by Government. In 200102 the LSC spent 2,236 million on adult programmes including further education, work based learning, adult and community learning and other programmes. This increased to 2,427 million in 200203 and to 2,866 million in 200304. These figures are available from the LSC's published accounts. Figures for adult education for the years prior to 2001 are not comparable as the budget was split between a range of different organisations. My Department does not hold figures for adult education funding at local or regional levels. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 2 February 2006
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills referred to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) by Bill Rammell regarding the funding allocated to adult education in (a) England, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) the area corresponding as closely as possible to Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 1997.
	Prior to the establishment of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in 2001 funding for further education in England was provided by the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC).
	The FEFC allocated funding to a different cohort of providers using a different funding methodology to the LSC and therefore it is not possible for us to provide information on the funding allocated for adult education between 1997 and 2001.
	I attach therefore a breakdown of the funding allocated by the LSC to FE providers in (a) England and (b) The Tees Valley from 2002/032005/06. It is not possible for us to provide figures for providers in the constituency areas you have requested because we do not have the detail of which providers are located with parliamentary constituencies. The figures show the total FE allocation for the academic year, the proportion of adult funding allocated and the percentage change.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Adult Education

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funds have been made available in 200506 for adult education courses in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham; and what percentage change this represents over the previous year.

Bill Rammell: The Department does not hold figures for adult education funding at local or regional levels. The Department allocates funds for the post-16 education and training sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) working through 47 local offices. Some of the information you require is available on the LSC's website. The LSC was established in 2001 bringing the planning and funding of post-16 education together under one body within a framework set by Government. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 13 February 2006
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills referred to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) by Bill Rammell, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, regarding the funding allocated in 200506 for adult education courses in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the percentage change this represents over the previous year.
	The LSC allocates funds for further education through the 47 Local learning and Skills Councils. The funds are allocated on an academic year basis.
	The attached spreadsheet shows the total FE allocation and the proportion of funding allocated for adult education to FE providers in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It also shows the percentage change over the previous year. Overall the Borough had in excess of a 6% increase between 2004/05 and 2005/06 for FE provision. Of this, 208k was for adult education.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		2004/05 adult allocation vs 2005/06 adult allocation
		
			 Local council Provider 2004/05 adult FE allocation () 2005/06 adult FE allocation () Variance cash () Variance percentage 
		
		
			 London West Ealing, Hammersmith and West London college 20,179,651 20,338,000 158,349 1 
			 London West London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 1,295,847 1,346,000 50,153 4 
			 Total  21,475,498 21,684,000 208,502 1 
		
	
	
		2004/05 total allocation vs 2005/06 total allocation
		
			 Local council Provider 2004/05 total FE allocation () 2005/06 total FE allocation () Variance cash () Variance percentage 
		
		
			 London West Ealing, Hammersmith and West London college 37,714,000 40,063,000 2,349,000 6 
			 London West London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 1,353,000 1,416,000 63,000 5 
			 Total  39,067,000 41,479,000 2,412,000 6

Adult Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funds have been made available for adult education courses in (a) Coventry, South and (b) the West Midlands region in 200506; and how much was allocated in 200405 for those courses.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 1 February 2006
	In 200102 the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) spent 2,236 million on adult programmes including further education, work based learning, adult and community learning and other programmes. This increased to 2,427 million in 200203 and to 2,866 million in 200304. The Department does not hold figures for adult education funding at local or regional levels. The Department allocates funds for the post-16 education and training sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) working through 47 local offices. Some of the information about allocations for adult provision is available on the LSC's website. The LSC was established in 2001 bringing the planning and funding of post-16 education together under one body within a framework set by Government. Mark Haysom, the Council's chief executive has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 1 March 2006
	I am writing to follow up the written answer given by the Minister of State, Bill Rammell, in response to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding funding for adult education courses in Coventry and the West Midlands.
	I understand that you have recently met with Mike Bell, the Executive Director for Coventry and Warwickshire, and at that meeting you clarified the fact that your interest is in budgets for adults in general, not just those undertaking courses designated as adult education courses.
	In the academic year 200405, the West Midlands was allocated a budget of 266.2m for adults. In addition, a further 38.8m was allocated to Additional Learner Support.
	In the academic year 200506, the West Midlands was allocated a budget of 246.3m for adults, with an additional 40m for Additional Learner Support.
	I am unable to give you specific figures for Coventry South, as we allocate funds to individual institutions, which do not confine their recruitment to only part of the city.
	I can, however, tell you that in 20045 Colleges in Coventry as a whole were allocated 21.4m for adults, and 20.5m in 200506.
	As a whole, Coventry and Warwickshire LSC was allocated 36.7m for adults in 200405, plus 6.6m for Additional Learner Support, and 36.6m in 200506, plus an additional 6.7m for Additional Learner Support.
	Budgets are allocated to individual colleges and institutions based on their performance in previous years. Overall the LSC's budget has increased significantly since we were created in 2001 and has risen again this year. We welcome this increase in resources provided for post-16 learning by Government year-on-year but we also recognise that there will never be enough public money to meet all needs. Therefore we are seeking to encourage individuals and employers to engage in learning, but also make an appropriate contribution to the costs as I will explain below.
	The reason for the slight drop in adult budgets between 200405 and 200506 is because of our focus on our priorities, as agreed with Government, We are committed to providing a place for every 16 to 18 year old, and Coventry and Warwickshire saw growth in participation by young people between 200405 and 200506. Our funding allocations to individual institutions in 200506 sought to recognise and address this achievement.
	Our adult budgets are therefore increasingly focused on fully-funding those adults who lack basic literacy and numeracy skills'Skills for Life'and those who lack a first Level 2 qualification, without which entering the labour market is very difficult.
	We continue to part-fund adults who already have a first level 2, and a wide range of Level 3 qualifications as our contribution to meeting skills needs at all levels.
	We do, however, expect adults outside our fully-funded priority groups to make a contribution towards the cost of their learning as there will be beneficiaries economically. In 200506 we increased our expectations regarding the proportion of the cost of learning to be met by individual learners from 25%, where it had been fixed for some time, to 27,5%.
	This increase in what we expect adults to pay will continue, by 200708 we expect adults to contribute 37.5% of the cost of learning. This will still mean that the public purse will subsidise 62.5% of the cost of adult learning, outside our fully-funded priority groups.
	This clear focus of the LSC's resources on what we should fully-fund and part-fund is essential if we are to ensure that we make the greatest impact with public money, while encouraging others to recognise and invest in the true costs and benefits of learning.
	I know that you are meeting Mike Bell again shortly for a briefing on Coventry and Warwickshire LSC's plans. Mike will be happy to go into more detail on both the policy issues and budget issues if you wish.

A-levels

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what guidance her Department issues to encourage more girls to undertake A-Level science subjects;
	(2)  how many (a) girls and (b) boys undertook A-Level physics in each of the last four years; what assessment she has made of the reasons for the difference in take up of such courses between boys and girls; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has not issued guidance to encourage more girls to undertake A-Level science subjects. Through the new programme of study for science at key stage 4 which will be introduced in September 2006, we will ensure the science taught in schools inspires learners to pursue further study.
	We are working closely with the Institute of Physics to consider what can be done in schools to change this, including the role that the Science Learning Centres can play.
	The following table shows GCE A-level entries in physics by candidates aged 1618 in all schools and Further Education institutions 200205.
	
		Candidates attempting GCE A-level Physics (34)
		
			  Number of candidates As a percentage of all GCE A-level candidates 
		
		
			 Male   
			 2001/02 21,541 20.5 
			 2002/03 20,369 17.2 
			 2003/04 19,223 17.2 
			 2004/05 18,920 16.7 
			 Female   
			 2001/02 6,319 5.2 
			 2002/03 5,908 4.7 
			 2003/04 5,383 4.2 
			 2004/05 5,174 3.9 
		
	
	(34) Ages are taken at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August.

BBC Digital Curriculum

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of the BBC digital curriculum on the commercial market for educational software; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The BBC digital curriculum, now BBC Jam, was launched at the end of January this year. It is therefore too early to tell the impact the service will have on the commercial market.
	The BBC was given the go ahead for the service on the basis of 18 conditions. These conditions included requirements to ensure the content was separate, distinctive from, but complimentary to that offered by the commercial sector.

Bologna Process

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) secretariat and (b) follow-up resources her Department has provided toward implementation of commitments made under the Bologna Process.

Bill Rammell: The UK is responsible for providing a Secretariat to the Bologna Process from July 2005 until June 2007. The Secretariat is based in my department and consists of three officials including one from the Scottish Executive. Its purpose is to provide administrative and operational support for the Bologna Follow Up Group leading up to the next meeting of Bologna Ministers in London in May 2007. The Department is working closely with the devolved UK Administrations and with the UK higher education sector to ensure effective implementation across the UK of commitments made under the Bologna Process.

Building Schools for the Future

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether approval of the bid from Durham county council under building schools for the future is conditional on incorporating an academy as part of the overall scheme.

Jacqui Smith: It is an absolute requirement for building schools for the future (BSF) proposals that local authorities (LAs) come forward with hard-edged proposals for how their BSF project will raise standards in all secondary schools in the area. In doing that, we require all LAs to give serious consideration to whether the establishment of an academy would benefit one or more schools. It is only right that when we are making unprecedented levels of capital investment in schools, rising from 5.5 billion in 200506 to 6.3 billion in 200708, all LAs have robust plans in place.

Care Leavers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people leaving care in Coventry, South in 200405 received a leaving care grant of (a) less than 500, (b) over 500, (c) over 1,000 and (d) over 2,000.

Maria Eagle: This information is not collected centrally.

Care Leavers

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support services are available to young people leaving care in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) Wakefield district to help them deal with the financial and practical aspects of independent living.

Maria Eagle: Each of the five local authorities in West Yorkshire has a pathway/leaving care service, which offers support to young people 16 to 24 who have left care. The services are delivered either directly by the local authority or by a voluntary organisation contracted by the authority to offer leaving care support. The West Yorkshire Connexions service contributes to all five leaving care teams, having staff based in each one.
	Every care leaver must have a personal 'pathway plan', which should record specific arrangements to provide financial advice and support. Where young people are living in independent accommodation, these services will be responsible for ensuring that they have the support necessary to manage the financial and practical requirements of living.
	Services to care leavers in Wakefield are provided through Signposta partnership between Wakefield social services and Barnardo's. The Signpost annual report for 200405 reports that the service employs two teams:
	(1) The Leaving Care Teamproviding support and making plans for all care leavers registered with Signpost; and
	(2) The Accommodation and Employability Teamconsisting of housing support workers, accommodation recruitment workers, and employability workers.
	This latter team has a remit to provide specific and additional support around care leavers employability and accommodation needs.

Care Leavers

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) Wakefield district who left care in 2005 stayed in (i) their own house, (ii) with friends and (iii) in hostel or bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

Maria Eagle: The Department will be releasing national and local authority level figures on looked-after children in a statistical volume on 30 March 2006. Figures for looked-after children aged 16 and over will be available on the Department's website http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/index.shtml National and local authority figures for all children looked after will be available after this date.
	I will write to my hon. Friend and provide him with the information he has requested by 7 April 2006.

Care Leavers

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) leaving care workers and (b) personal advisers are available to young people leaving care in (i) the Wakefield district and (ii) Normanton constituency; and how regularly they have contact with individuals.

Maria Eagle: Services to care leavers in Wakefield are provided through Signposta partnership between Wakefield social services and Barnardo's. The Signpost annual report for 200405 reports that the service employs two teams:
	(1) The Leaving Care Teamconsisting of 10 personal advisors (PAs) providing support and making plans for all care leavers registered with Signpost; and
	(2) The Accommodation and Employability Teamconsists of three housing support workers, two accommodation recruitment workers, and three employability workers.
	This latter team has a remit to provide specific and additional support in relation to care leavers employability and accommodation needs.
	The frequency of contact between PAs and individual care leavers will be an operational matter that should depend on the specific needs of each young person.

Care Leavers

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people leaving care in 200405 received a leaving care grant of (a) less than 500, (b) over 500, (c) over 1,000 and (d) over 2,000.

Maria Eagle: This information is not collected centrally.

Child Protection

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether there is an equivalent to List 99 for school bus drivers.

Ruth Kelly: Children travelling to school by bus may travel on public service buses alongside the general public; buses provided under contract by the local authority; or buses owned and operated by the local authority. Drivers of school buses may be self-employed, employed by private bus companies, or directly by local authorities. The Department for Education and Skills currently advises that employers should carry out Criminal Records Bureau checks on anyone working with children, including drivers of contracted school buses and those operated by local authorities. These checks will disclose whether or not a bus driver is included in List 99.
	Under the proposed new vetting and barring scheme which implements the Bichard inquiry report, bus drivers who work within school premises during hours when children are present must be checked to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Bus drivers who do not work within school premises, but who care for or have a supervisory role over children, must also be checked. Checks will not be required for bus drivers where a vehicle is for general public use.

City Academy (Middlesbrough)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough is taking to raise standards; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: In December 2005, a number of experienced new governors and a new chief executive officer were appointed to strengthen the leadership and management of Unity City Academy. The new chief executive officer has completed a review of the academy and now has overall responsibility for implementing an action plan to raise standards of attainment. The Department is working closely with the academy to support it in raising standards and providing the best possible education for young people in the local area.

Class Sizes

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size is in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in (i) England, (ii) Staffordshire and (iii) Tamworth constituency.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

Class Sizes

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size is in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Gateshead, East and Washington, West constituency.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	Data on class sizes at national, local authority and parliamentary constituency level can also be found at the following link: Schools and Pupils in England: January 2005 (Final) in the additional information sections 4, 6 and 7.

Communication Aids Project

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether she plans to continue to support funding for communication equipment under the Communication Aids Project for (a) children and (b) adults; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations she has received about continued funding for the Communication Aids Project;
	(3)  what recent research she has (a) initiated and (b) evaluated on the need for communication aids equipment for (i) children and (ii) adults.

Maria Eagle: Funding for the Communication Aids Project comes to an end in March 2006. This DfES-funded initiative for school-age children has been successful but we have always made it clear, through the referral process and otherwise, that CAP was there to supplement, not replace, provision made locally. With other pressures on funding arising from the Government's ambitious agenda for education, it has not been possible to extend the funding for CAP.
	The Department has received a number of representations about funding for CAP, mainly approaches from hon. Members on behalf of constituents. These have been prompted either by the SCOPE Speak for Yourself campaign or a circular letter from the Manager of the ACE Centre North, one of the centres working within CAP.
	The Department has not recently initiated or evaluated any research on children who may require communication aids. We have, however, published an independent evaluation of the Communication Aids Project, work undertaken by University College London in conjunction with the University of York. The report was published in October 2004 as DfES Research Report 580 and it confirmed that CAP had positive benefits for the children being assisted and those working with them.
	Local service providers have a central role in meeting needs, including the needs of individuals with severely impaired communication. Where children are concerned, we would be looking to children's services, through children's trusts, to provide appropriate support and equipment to all disabled children. Adult needs would be met by local authorities and primary care trusts working together through their integrated community equipment services.
	Questions relating to research on adult needs, and funding associated with same, would be for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health. I understand there has been no recent research on adults needing communication aids. However, guidance on communication aids is available on the Department of Health's Care Service Improvement Partnership Integrating Community Equipment Services (ICES) website. Getting Started is intended to support local commissioning and provision of appropriate services.

Content Advisory Board

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the recommendations of the Content Advisory Board; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Hope: On the whole I have been supportive of the recommendations, with the exception of the recommendation to review the 'BBC' jam learning service for five-16 year-olds. I feel that it is too soon to review the service, given the limited amount of material available, and the fact that it has only recently been launched.
	A published version of the Content Advisory Board's report and my response is available in hard copy as well as online at the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) website and I will therefore not be making any further statement.

Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will reply to the letter sent to her by the hon. Member for Brent East dated 21 November 2005, regarding Mr. M. A. Meerabux.

Jacqui Smith: I responded to the hon. Member's letter on 27 February. Mr. Meerabux received a response in November 2005.

Day Nurseries

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many day nurseries have (a) closed and (b) opened since 2003.

Beverley Hughes: The number of full day care child care places opening and closing in England since 2003, drawn from Ofsted registration data is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Full day care places: 
			  Opening Closing Net growth 
		
		
			 April 2003 to March 2004 113,249 38,502 74,747 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 127,256 65,577 61,679 
			 April 2005 to December 2005 71,200 36,095 35,105

Deaf Children

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of deaf 11-year-olds achieved level 4 at Key Stage 2 in (a) reading, (b) writing and (c) mathematics in each year since 1996.

Maria Eagle: We cannot provide information relating specifically to deaf children. However, in 2004 information on type of Special Educational Need (SEN) was collected for the first time via the Pupil Level Annual School Census for those pupils at School Action Plus and with statements of SEN. The type of SEN indicator includes a category for those pupils with Hearing Impairment and information for the pupils who have Hearing Impairment listed as their primary SEN is provided in the following table. Other statemented and School Action Plus children who may have a hearing impairment but for whom this is not listed as their primary SEN are not included in this table.
	
		KS2 achievements for 11-year-old pupils(35) at School Action Plus and with statements of SEN, with hearing impairments as their Primary SEN, in all maintained schools, 2003/042004/05(36)
		
			  2004/05 2003/04 
		
		
			 Number of eligible 11-year-old pupils in Reading 1,493 970 
			 Number achieving level 4+ in Reading 913 478 
			 Percentage achieving level 4+ in Reading 61.2 49.3 
			
			 Number of eligible 11-year-old pupils in Writing 1,493 970 
			 Number achieving level 4+ in Writing 566 309 
			 Percentage achieving level 4+ in Writing 37.9 31.9 
			
			 Number of eligible 11-year-old pupils in Maths 1,510 975 
			 Number achieving level 4+ in Maths 795 426 
			 Percentage achieving level 4+ in Maths 52.6 43.7 
		
	
	(35) Number of KS2 eligible pupils with a valid result.
	(36) Including attempts and achievement in previous academic years.
	Note:
	Attainment data for 2004/05 are based on revised figures, for 2003/04 are based on final figures.

Deaf Children

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of deaf 15 year-olds achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades (a) A* to C and (b) A* to G in each year since 1996.

Jacqui Smith: We cannot provide information relating specifically to deaf children. However, in 2004 information on type of special educational need (SEN) was collected for the first time via the pupil level annual school census for those pupils at school action plus and with statements of SEN. The type of SEN indicator includes a category for those pupils with hearing impairment and information for the pupils who have hearing impairment listed as their primary SEN is provided in the following table. Other statemented and school action plus children who may have a hearing impairment but for whom this is not listed as their primary SEN are not included in this table.
	
		GCSE and equivalent achievements for 15 year-old pupils(37) at school action plus and with statements of SEN, with hearing impairments as their primary SEN, in all maintained schools, 2003/042004/05(38)
		
			  2004/05 2003/04 
		
		
			 Number of 15 year-old pupils 1,108 1,008 
			 Number achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE and equivalents 364 310 
			 Percentage achieving 5+A*-C at GCSE and equivalents 32.9 30.8 
			 Number achieving 5+A*-G at GCSE and equivalents 847 792 
			 Percentage achieving 5+A*-G at GCSE and equivalents 76.4 78.6 
		
	
	(37) Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year.
	(38) Including attempts and achievement in previous academic years.
	Note:
	Figures for 2004/05 are revised, figures for 2003/04 are revised as this is what was used in the Statistical First Release.

Dental Training

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university students studying dentistry worked in (a) Leicester and (b) England for their compulsory year's training with an NHS dentist in each year between 1997 and 2005.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	Newly qualified dental graduates are required to undertake one year's vocational training before they may practise independently in the national health service. These vocational dental practitioners (VDPs), none of whom would have started specialist training in orthodontics at this stage, undergo the training in approved vocational training dental practices distributed across the country.
	In 2005, there were 14 training places in the Leicester area, 24 in Surrey and 624 in England as a whole. In 2005, 598 VDPs were appointed to these vocational training practices including 14 in the Leicester area. Information for earlier years is not held centrally. Given that the number of VDPs is largely determined by the number of dental undergraduates and there had been no significant increase in admissions to dental schools until we funded a major expansion from autumn 2005, it may, however, be assumed that these figures have remained fairly constant since 1997.

Departmental Energy Costs

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by her Department on (a) gas and (b) electricity in 200405.

Bill Rammell: The amount spent in 200405 on gas was 118,729 and on electricity 1,029.119.

Departmental Staff

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans her Department has to change the London allowance of its staff; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Department has no plans to change pay arrangements for London staff.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people were employed by (a) her Department and (b) the Office for Standards in Education in each of the last 12 months for which information is available; and how many and what percentage of posts were vacant in each region in each month.

Maria Eagle: The figures requested are published in civil service statistics. I would refer the hon. Member to Table A which covers staff numbers (FTE and headcount basis) for each organisation. Civil service statistics are available in the Library and at the following address on the Cabinet Office statistics website: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/index.asp
	The Department does not hold centrally details of vacant posts. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	HM chief inspector, Maurice Smith, has written to the hon. Member in so far as the question relates to Ofsted, and a copy of his letter has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Maurice Smith, dated 13 February 2006
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked how many people were employed by the Office of Standards in Education in each of the last 12 months for which information is available; and how many and what percentage of posts were vacant in each region in each month.
	Ofsted has undergone a substantial reorganisation over the last twelve months and moved towards a regional structure with a leaner HQ presence in London. In total, we have reduced the number of regional offices from 12 to 4. It is therefore not possible to provide an answer, by region or by month, as requested.
	Our establishment figure for 200405 was 2814 however our actual staffing did not reach this figure because we immediately implemented reductions once the Government's efficiency plans became clear. Ofsted does not operate an establishment figure now as we seek to manage by operational demand and budget rather than pre-determined staffing numbers, thus it is not possible to identify the number of posts vacant at this time.
	Our total full time equivalent staffing figure as of 31 December 2005 was 2280. The equivalent figure at 31 December 2004 was 2490.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Maria Eagle and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Education (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places are available at pupil referral units in (a) Peterborough and (b) Cambridgeshire; what their occupancy rate is; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect data on the number of places that pupil referral units (PRUs) have available or on their occupancy rate. However, we collect data on the number of pupils who were being educated in PRUs at the time of the annual school census. The table sets out the number of pupils who were attending PRUs in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire only at the time of the census, as well as those who were attending both a PRU and another educational institution for their education.
	
		Number
		
			 Local authority Pupils attending PRUs only Pupils attending a PRU and another institution 
		
		
			 Peterborough 20 30 
			 Cambridgeshire 230 320 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual School CensusPupil Referral Units (January 2005).

Education (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school age children normally resident in the Peterborough city council area are being educated outside the Peterborough local education authority area.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been provided in the following table.
	
		Children(39) resident in Peterborough local authority attending schools outside of the authority
		
			  Number and percentage 
		
		
			 Primary(40)  
			 Number of resident pupils 12,877 
			 Number of resident pupils educated outside of the LA 132 
			 Percentage of resident pupils educated outside of the LA 1.0 
			   
			 Secondary(40)  
			 Number of resident pupils 10,517 
			 Number of resident pupils educated outside of the LA 397 
			 Percentage of resident pupils educated outside of the LA 3.8 
			   
			 Special  
			 Number of resident pupils 302 
			 Number of resident pupils educated outside of the LA 13 
			 Percentage of resident pupils educated outside of the LA 4.3 
		
	
	(39) Includes pupils aged 515-years-old.
	(40) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census 2005.

Education (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in the Peterborough local education authority area have a first language other than English; and what the figures were for (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(41): number and percentage of pupils by first language2:Position in January each year: 2002 to 2005Peterborough local authority area
		
			  Primary 
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English 1,967 2,040 2,140 2,302 
			 Percentage of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English(43) 14.7 15.4 16.2 17.6 
			 Total number of pupils(44) 13,396 13,212 13,181 13,094 
		
	
	
		
			  Secondary 
			  2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English 1,774 1,760 1,770 1,807 
			 Percentage of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English(43) 13.8 13.6 13.8 14.0 
			 Total number of pupils(44) 12,882 12,973 12,759 12,918 
		
	
	(41) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(42) Excludes dually registered pupils.
	(43) Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils of compulsory school age and above.
	(44) Pupils of compulsory school age and above.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Education (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many admissions appeals were heard in the Peterborough local education authority area in respect of (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in each of the last five years; and how many were successful.

Jacqui Smith: This table provides the information for the last five years for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Primary 
			  Appeals heard Appeals decided in parents' favour Percentage 
		
		
			 1999/2000 58 18 31.0 
			 2000/01 65 30 46.2 
			 2001/02 60 25 41.7 
			 2002/03 42 14 33.3 
			 2003/04 60 29 48.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Secondary 
			  Appeals heard Appeals decided in parents' favour Percentage 
		
		
			 1999/2000 163 65 39.9 
			 2000/01 147 59 40.1 
			 2001/02 235 93 39.6 
			 2002/03 125 27 21.6 
			 2003/04 140 47 33.6

Education (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the funding per pupil is for 200506 in Peterborough constituency.

Jacqui Smith: The available information for total funding per pupil aged 319 for 200506 in the Peterborough LEA was 4,420.
	Notes:
	1. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and include the pensions transfer to EFS and the Learning and Skills Council. 2. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 319 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 3. The pupil numbers used to convert  million figures to  per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and reported in cash terms.

Education (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in the Peterborough local education authority area were rated (a) Grade 1, (b) Grade 2, (c) Grade 3 and (d) Grade 4 when last assessed by the Office for Standards in Education.

Jacqui Smith: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Maurice Smith has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
	Letter from Maurice Smith, dated 2 March 2006
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked which schools in the Peterborough local education authority area were rated (a) grade 1, (b) grade 2, (c) grade 3 and (d) grade 4 when last assessed by the Office for Standards in Education.
	Inspectors have made a judgment about schools' overall effectiveness since January 2000. Until July 2005 this judgment was made using a seven point scale: excellent (1), very good (2), good (3), satisfactory (4), unsatisfactory (5), poor (6) and very poor (7). Since September 2005 the judgement has been made using a four point scale: outstanding (1), good (2), satisfactory (3) and inadequate (4). This response relates to schools' most recent inspection after January 2000. Four new schools were not inspected during that period.
	The information is in the two tables attached. The first shows results from inspections in the period January 2000 to July 2005 and the second for inspections since September 2005.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jacqui Smith and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			 School name Type of school Overall effectiveness Inspection year 
		
		
			 Inspections from January 2000 to July 2005  
			 Caverstede Early Years Centre Nursery Very good 2000/01 
			 Highlees Community Primary School Primary Very good 2000/01 
			 Northborough Primary School Primary Very good 2001/02 
			 Queen's Drive Infant School Primary Very good 2001/02 
			 Dogsthorpe Infant School Primary Very good 2002/03 
			 West Town Primary School Primary Very good 2002/03 
			 Norwood Primary School Primary Very good 2002/03 
			 Leighton Primary School Primary Very good 2002/03 
			 Wittering Primary School Primary Very good 2002/03 
			 Werrington Primary School Primary Very good 2002/03 
			 Jack Hunt School Secondary Very good 2000/01 
			 Deacon's School Secondary Very good 2001/02 
			 Ken Stimpson Community School Secondary Very good 2002/03 
			 Marshfields School Community Special Very good 2004/05 
			 Fletton Student Support Centre Pupil Referral Unit Very good 2001/02 
			 Woodston Primary School Primary Good 2000/01 
			 Welland Primary School Primary Good 2000/01 
			 Braybrook Primary School Primary Good 2000/01 
			 All Saints' CofE (Aided) Junior School Primary Good 2000/01 
			 St. John's Church School Primary Good 2000/01 
			 Heritage Park Primary School Primary Good 2000/01 
			 Oakdale Primary School Primary Good 2001/02 
			 Dogsthorpe Junior School Primary Good 2001/02 
			 Newark Hill Primary School Primary Good 2001/02 
			 Thorpe Primary School Primary Good 2001/02 
			 Abbotsmede Primary School Primary Good 2001/02 
			 The Duke of Bedford Primary School Primary Good 2002/03 
			 Winyates Primary School Primary Good 2002/03 
			 Parnwell Primary School Primary Good 2002/03 
			 Paston Ridings Primary School Primary Good 2002/03 
			 Hampton Hargate Primary School Primary Good 2002/03 
			 Brewster Avenue Infant School Primary Good 2003/04 
			 Castor CofE Primary School Primary Good 2003/04 
			 Eye CofE Primary School Primary Good 2003/04 
			 Watergall Primary School Primary Good 2003/04 
			 Nene Valley Primary School Primary Good 2003/04 
			 Walton Infant School Primary Good 2004/05 
			 Longthorpe Primary School Primary Good 2004/05 
			 Matley Primary School Primary Good 2004/05 
			 Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School Primary Good 2004/05 
			 Newborough CofE Primary School Primary Good 2004/05 
			 Sacred Heart RC Primary School Primary Good 2004/05 
			 Bretton Woods Community School Secondary Good 2002/03 
			 The King's School Secondary Good 2003/04 
			 Stanground College Secondary Good 2004/05 
			 John Clare Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2000/01 
			 Stanground St. Johns CofE Controlled Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2000/01 
			 Middleton Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2000/01 
			 Old Fletton Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2001/02 
			 Gunthorpe Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2001/02 
			 Welbourne Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2001/02 
			 Ravensthorpe Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2004/05 
			 St. Thomas More RC Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2004/05 
			 Orton Longueville School Secondary Satisfactory 2000/01 
			 Arthur Mellows Village College Secondary Satisfactory 2002/03 
			 Bushfield Community College Secondary Satisfactory 2002/03 
			 Hereward Community College Secondary Satisfactory 2004/05 
			 Heltwate School Community Special Satisfactory 2004/05 
			 Inspections since September 2005 
			 Southfields Junior School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 Southfields Infant School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 Walton Junior School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 Gladstone Primary School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 Eyrescroft Primary School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 St. Botolph's CofE (Controlled) Primary School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 Peakirk-cum-Glinton CofE Primary School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 St. Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 Orton Wistow Primary School Primary Good 2005/06 
			 John Mansfield School Secondary Good 2005/06 
			 Bishop Creighton Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2005/06 
			 The Beeches Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2005/06 
			 William Law CofE (Aided) Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2005/06 
			 Fulbridge Primary School Primary Satisfactory 2005/06 
			 St. John Fisher RC School Secondary Satisfactory 2005/06 
			 Walton Community School Secondary Inadequate(45) 2005/06 
		
	
	(45) This school was given a Notice to Improve

Education (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were permanently excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the Peterborough local education authority area in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(46): number of permanent exclusions: 1999/2000 to 2003/04Peterborough local authority area
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			  Number Percentage(47) Number Percentage(47) 
		
		
			 1999/2000 4 0.03 34 0.26 
			 2000/01(48) 7 0.04 19 0.15 
			 2001/02 11 0.07 16 0.12 
			 2002/03(48) 7 0.04 15 0.12 
			 2003/04(48) 3 0.02 36 0.28 
		
	
	(46) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(47) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils, excluding dually registered pupils.
	(48) Figures are as confirmed by local authorities via the data checking exercise

Education (Staffing)

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many (a) full-time teachers and (b) school support staff were employed in South Gloucestershire in each year since 1992;
	(2)  how many (a) full-time teachers and (b) school support staff were employed in Bath and North East Somerset for each year since 1992.

Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the full-time and full-time equivalent number of regular teachers and the full-time equivalent number of support staff employed in South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset local authorities in each January since 1997. Support staff data can only be provided on a full-time equivalent basis.
	South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset local authorities were created on 1 April 1996. Figures are not available prior to April 1996.
	
		Full-time and full-time equivalent number of teachers and full-time equivalent support staff employed in maintained schools in South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset local authorities
		
			  South Gloucestershire Bath and North East Somerset 
			  Teachers  Teachers 
			 January Full-time FTE Support staff Full-time FTE Support staff 
		
		
			 1997 1,790 1,970 600 1,240 1,370 410 
			 1998 1,780 1,980 620 1,200 1,350 430 
			 1999 1,810 2,050 650 1,210 1,350 440 
			 2000 1,860 2,090 700 1,220 1,360 500 
			 2001 1,880 2,120 800 1,240 1,390 530 
			 2002 1,910 2,160 900 1,280 1,410 560 
			 2003 1,910 2,180 920 1,270 1,440 610 
			 2004 1,900 2,180 960 1,220 1,390 660 
			 2005 1,890 2,180 1,030 1,230 1,410 730 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies (teachers), Annual School Census (support staff).

Education Maintenance Allowance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when institutions whose students are eligible for education maintenance allowance were first informed that the administrative costs would be covered by the individual institutions in academic year 200708.

Maria Eagle: Institutions were first formally notified of the arrangement for EMA administrative payments to schools and colleges on 30 January 2006.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to ensure that those who are entitled to Education Maintenance Allowance from April, but who do not live with parents or are of no fixed abode, continue to receive support to continue their studies, with particular reference to those who are not eligible for a bank account.

Maria Eagle: Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is not designed to provide support for a young person's living costs. It is an incentive to encourage learning post compulsory education.
	Where a young person in full time non advanced education is estranged from their parent or guardian, income support is available (subject to satisfying the other qualifying conditions). EMA is paid in addition to income support in these circumstances.
	In response to its stakeholder consultation, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), who have operational responsibility for EMA, has been supporting learners to open bank accounts. LSC have been working with the British Bankers Association (BBA) to publicise basic bank accounts. These bank accounts are easier to obtain than a full current account. The BBA has also agreed to act as an intermediary if learners experience specific problems.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to provide funding for individuals between payments of Education Maintenance Allowance and those made to trainees undertaking work-based learning courses including E2E.

Maria Eagle: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who have operational responsibility for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), is putting in place transitional arrangements for those learners starting an LSC funded E2E/Programme Led Pathway (PLP) Programme before 10 April 2006. Learners starting provision before that date will continue to receive Minimum Training Allowance (MTA) until the end of their course, or 31 December 2006, whichever is the sooner.
	For learners beginning their programme after 10 April 2006, the LSC has been able to secure 1.8 million of funding for a Hardship Fund in 2006/07 for E2E/PLP learners replicating the Learner Support Fund available to Learners in Further Education.
	The LSC has been undertaking a range of activities to maximise EMA take up and to minimise the risk of payment delays to learners who are eligible for EMA payments. This includes making the EMA application more user friendly and spreading good practice to try to help households get applications right the first time.

Education Provision (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on progress with Sure Start in Hendon;
	(2)  how many (a) Sure Start and (b) under fives places are available in Hendon; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Sure Start Underhill and West Hendon, a sixth wave local programme has been offering services to under fours and their families since 2003. The number of children under four in the programme catchment area is 722. The latest figure for the percentage of children 'reached' by the programme was 33 per cent. at March 2005. This compares well with the national average of 23 per cent. of children 'reached' at March 2005.
	Sure Start Underhill and West Hendon will form part of a purpose built children's centre on the site of Parkfield School in West Hendon, to be opened by September 2006. Wingfield Children's Centre in Colindale is due to open at the end of March 2006. The two centres will create an additional 91 child care places and will reach around 2,192 children. The London borough of Barnet has a target to create a further 15 children's centres by March 2008. These centres are in the initial planning stages, but early indications are that eight of these children's centre will be in the Hendon constituency.
	According to the Ofsted register, there were 4,208 childcare places available for children aged under eight in the London borough of Barnet at December 2005. Information on places by constituency and places for under fives is not available.

Education Provision (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Hendon participated in the Bookstart programme in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are providing funding of 27 million to Bookstart from 200508. The aim of the Bookstart Programme is to support children's early communication and language development and social and emotional development by encouraging parents to share books, story telling and rhymes with their babies and toddlers. A total of 371 Bookstart packs were issued in the Hendon area during 2005. The figure for the number of Bookstart Plus vouchers issued in Hendon in 2005 is not yet available, but 197 vouchers for Bookstart Treasure Chest packs have been distributed in Hendon since October 2005.

Education Provision (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to support school sport in Hendon.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are jointly implementing the national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy in England. In the five years to 2008 over 1.5 billion is being invested (including 686 million lottery funding) to implement the strategy.
	The strategy is delivering an ambitious public service agreement target to increase the percentage of 516 year olds who spend a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006 and then 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition, by 2010, is to offer all children at least four hours of sport every week. The 2004/05 school sport survey results found that overall, 69 per cent. of pupils in the 11,498 schools taking part were participating in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week. In 2003/04 this figure was 62 per cent.
	Spearheading this strategy is the creation of a national PE/sports infrastructure, by establishing a network of Sports Colleges and School Sport Partnerships (families of schools which work together). Hendon is in the London borough of Barnet, which currently has 85 schools within a School Sport Partnership. By September this year all maintained schools in the borough will be included within a partnership.

Education Provision (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Hendon had (a) computer suites and (b) classroom interactive whiteboards in (i) 2005 and (ii) 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Data on ICT resources in schools are available nationally but not on a constituency or authority basis. In 2005, the average pupil to computer ratio was 6.7 pupils per computer in primary schools and 4.1 pupils per computer in secondary. There was no comparable survey in 1997, but in 1998 there were 17.6 pupils per computer in primary schools and 8.7 pupils per computer in secondary.
	In 2005, 76 per cent. of primary and 95 per cent. of secondary schools had interactive whiteboards. Data on interactive whiteboards (or equivalent technologies) were not collected in 1998 but in 2001, when data were first collected, 9 per cent. of primary and 40 per cent. of secondary schools had interactive whiteboards.

Education Provision (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department has made available for capital expenditure in Hendon schools since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Capital allocations for Hendon are made to Barnet Local Authority and its schools. Details of annual capital allocations made to Barnet local authority since 199798 are set out in the table.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 1.8 
			 199899 5.6 
			 19992000 3.9 
			 200001 11.9 
			 200102 7.5 
			 200203 15.9 
			 200304 12.0 
			 200405 18.5 
			 200506 15.1 
		
	
	Capital allocations to local authorities and schools are higher than ever before. In 200506 they are 5.5 billion and they are planned to rise to 6.3 billion in 200708, an increase from 683 million in 199697.
	It is the responsibility of schools and local authorities to determine how they allocate these funds, taking account of local needs and priorities.

Educational Attainment

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of (a) children in receipt of free school meals, (b) pupils with special educational needs and (c) all children aged 15 years at the end of the 200405 academic year achieved (i) five or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent including mathematics and English and (ii) no A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent, broken down by type of school, excluding grammar school.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested can be found in the following table.
	
		GCSE and equivalent results of 15-year-old pupils(49) in maintained schools (excluding grammar schools), 2004/05
		
			  Number of pupils Percentage achieving 5+A*-C inc. English and Mathematics Percentage achieving no passes 
		
		
			 Pupils receiving free school meals 
			 Comprehensive(50) 72,984 18.4 7.0 
			 Modern 3,063 13.7 4.6 
			 Other maintained(51) 3,485 0.0 33.0 
			 Total 79,532 17.4 8.1 
			 
			 Pupils with special educational needs(52) 
			 Comprehensive(50) 84,148 7.7 9.7 
			 Modern 5,980 5.8 6.6 
			 Other maintained(51) 9,435 0.1 35.1 
			 Total 99,563 6.9 11.9 
			 
			 All pupils(53)
			 Comprehensive(50) 526,319 41.4 2.7 
			 Modern 26,472 30.7 2.1 
			 Other maintained(51) 9,578 0.1 33.7 
			 Total 562,369 40.2 3.2 
		
	
	(49) Age at the start of the academic year
	(50) Including city technology colleges and academies
	(51) Including community and foundation special schools
	(52) Including statemented and non-statemented SEN pupils
	(53) Includes pupils who have not completed the Pupil Level Annual School Census (as in national figures)

Educational Needs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the proposed pathfinder project to assist the identification of children whose needs could be met by appropriate boarding provision.

Maria Eagle: We made a commitment in the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All, to work with a sample of local authorities and boarding schools to develop tools for identifying and assessing those children whose needs could best be met by appropriate boarding provision. These tools would then be embedded within the needs assessment and commissioning systems of the participating local authorities, who would apply to place children in vulnerable circumstances in one of the participating boarding schools, where a careful assessment of a child's individual needs indicated that this would be beneficial.
	The Department for Education and Skills hosted a conference on 20 January with some boarding schools and local authorities that has helped to highlight some of the issues that need to be addressed. The conference confirmed that there is certainly enough interest and support amongst schools and local authorities to continue to develop the policy. The Department is currently working up more detailed proposals for consultation with those boarding schools and authorities who are interested.

Efficiency Savings

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what baseline figures she is using for assessing progress on her Department's targets to (a) enable frontline professionals in schools, colleges and higher education institutions to use their time more productively through (i) workforce reform, (ii) investment in ICT and (iii) reducing administrative burdens, (b) improve procurement of goods, services and new buildings, (c) streamline the delivery system through improvements in policy, funding and regulation, (d) free up resources from the cost of (A) her Department, (B) her Department's non-departmental public bodies and (C) the Office for Standards in Education by reducing overlaps, simplifying systems, better procurement and rationalisation of back office functions and (e) pursue additional efficiency gains, including improvements in school-level financial management; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

e-Government

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the internet access points funded by Government Departments; and what the (a) location and (b) postcode is of each.

Phil Hope: The information is as follows.
	UK online centres
	To date there are over 6,000 UK online centres, including around 3,000 non-library centres. Colleagues in the Communications and Media Team at Ufi have created a detailed spreadsheet, giving full contact details for each of these centres, including e-mail and website addresses.
	This spreadsheet includes centres across three groupings, including:
	Public libraryAs these are based in public libraries they are therefore open to the general public; and the access points in the libraries were funded through government money from the Capital Modernisation Fund (CMF) via the People's Network project.
	Funded non library centresThese centres were funded through public money via the CMF, the vast majority of these are open to the public but some are restricted to specific user groups. The spreadsheet indicates whether they are open to the public or not.
	Non fundedThese centres did not receive government money. They were approved to use the UK online brand through one of three sponsor organisations, (Becta, Niace or e-skills), but received no public money. Most of these are open to the public, but some are not. Again the spreadsheet identifies these.
	Those centres not open to the public are likely to be for use for people in specific workplaces, residential care or community specific organisations.
	The data on funding provided is not necessarily comprehensive, but are based on the information gathered since Ufi took on the management responsibility of UK online centres.
	All address details can be found on the Ufi website at www.ufi.co.uk/ukol/.

Enterprise Advisor Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Enterprise Advisor Service will continue to be funded after July 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is currently evaluating the impact, effectiveness and efficiency of the Service. The Department will consider jointly with the LSC how best to continue to promote and support enterprise in schools in the light of that evaluation.

Ethnic Pupils

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has conducted into under-achievement in schools by ethnic minority pupils.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has an active research and analysis programme on the attainment of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. In addition to our annual publication on the attainment of pupils by ethnicity across the Key Stages we have published a series of topic papers on minority ethnic pupils and education, the most recent of which was published in January 2005. These include statistics and research on the attainment of under-achieving minority ethnic groups. current and recently completed research projects include an evaluation of the Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of African-Caribbean Pupils project and an analysis of the attainment of minority ethnic pupils in Excellence in Cities areas. All of the Department's research on minority ethnic pupils can be accessed from www.dfes.gov.uk/research

Ethnic Pupils

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to monitor the collective achievement and progress of pupils with (a) Turkish and (b) other ethnic backgrounds that are not Census ethnic group categories; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Data from the Annual Schools Census, linked to the national pupil data base, allows the Department to collect and analyse on an annual basis on the achievement of pupils by ethnic group. Data on pupils' ethnicity is currently collected using the codes from the national population Census. The any other white background category includes Turkish pupils. However, Turkish as a separate ethnic code is included in an extended list which contains 70 additional categories which can be used by schools and local authorities to meet their local data collection needs.
	From 2007 schools and authorities will be able to collect information on pupils' languages by selecting from an extensive list. This will help with the planning of inclusion and equality strategies, at both national and local level. Turkish will be one of the languages that will be available to record from 2007.

Foundation Schools

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have applied for foundation status since the fast track scheme was introduced; and how many of these applications have been successful.

Jacqui Smith: The fast track arrangements were introduced on 1 August 2005 for community and voluntary controlled secondary schools to change category to foundation. Under these arrangements proposals are decided by the governing body itself. Since then the Department has been informed that proposals have been published by 14 community secondary schools to change category to foundation. To date we have been notified that the governing bodies of seven of these schools have determined that they should be implemented. We are awaiting notification of the decisions on the other seven.

Foundation Schools

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications for foundation school status were received in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The category of foundation school was established by the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. There was a moratorium on changes of category following the introduction of the new schools framework, and no proposals were published until 2001. The number of proposals for maintained schools to change category to foundation schools is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 16 
			 2002 12 
			 2003 6 
			 2004 4 
			 2005 11 
			 2006 6 
		
	
	In August 2005 a fast-track to foundation status was introduced. Under this the governing bodies of community and voluntary controlled secondary schools may determine their own proposals to change category to foundation status, following consultation, publication of the proposals and a period during which representations may be made. There have been 14 proposals published to change category to foundation school since 1 August 2005, all for secondary schools under the fast track arrangements.

School Meals

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children at (a) all (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools and (b) the (A) top and (B) bottom 100 performing (1) primary and (2) secondary schools (x) have special educational needs and (y) are eligible for free school meals.

Maria Eagle: The figures for maintained primary and secondary schools in England in 2005 are shown in the following table. Top and bottom schools are calculated on the basis of Value Added scores, more detail about which can be found on the Achievement and Attainment tables website:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/primary_05/p8.shtml
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/schools_05/sec4.shtml
	
		
			  Percentage pupils with statements of SEN(54) Percentage pupils with SEN, without statements(54) Percentage pupils eligible for FSM1, 2 
		
		
			 Primary schools 1.6 16.5 17.0 
			 Top 100 Primary schools(56) 1.6 17.5 27.0 
			 Bottom 100 Primary schools(56) 1.7 25.2 36.4 
			 
			 Secondary schools 2.3 14.3 14.0 
			 Top 100 Secondary schools(57) 1.4 8.3 12.4 
			 Bottom 100 Secondary schools(57) 2.9 23.6 31.6 
		
	
	(54) These figures are derived from the Annual School Census in 2005.
	(55) The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) is expressed as a proportion of the number of pupils on roll.
	(56) Top and bottom schools on the basis of Key Stage 1-Key Stage 2 Value Added measures. Note that the list of top schools contains 121 schools and the list of bottom schools contains 109 schools as the value added measure (centred on 100) is rounded to 1 decimal place and schools below the cut-off may have equal values to those at the lower end of the list.
	(57) Top and bottom schools on the basis of Key Stage 2-Key Stage 4 Value Added measures. There are 100 schools in each list as the measure is centred on 1,000 and so rounding does not present the same issue as in (58).

School Meals

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action may be taken by (a) a school and (b) a social worker if a parent refuses to provide the relevant income information necessary for a child to obtain free school meals but it is clear that they are malnourished.

Jacqui Smith: Schools and local authorities have the discretion to decide whether or not to provide a child with a free school meal, despite a parent refusing to provide the relevant income information.
	Schools can seek advice from their children's services colleagues within the local authority (LA) and request them to make an assessment of the child. The LA as well as the school has wide discretion to provide what the child needs, such as a free school meal.
	Government guidance, 'What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused' was produced in 2003 to assist practitioners, including those working in social care and education, to work together to promote children's welfare and safeguard them from harm.

School Meals

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what analysis she has made of the reasons for failure to take up entitlement to free school meals.

Jacqui Smith: The Department is aware that there is a gap between eligibility and take up of free school meals and has funded research commissioned by the Child Poverty Action Group into the reasons children fail to take up their free school meal entitlement. The findings were published in a report entitled Improving the Take-Up of Free School Meals in May 2001. The report shows that pupils and parents considered that the quality and choice of food on offer can discourage take up.

School Meals

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many schools in Hendon serve healthy school meals; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what additional funding has been made available to Barnet to improve school meals; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect information on how many schools in Hendon serve healthy school meals.
	The Government are determined to transform the quality of food in schools and supports the work local authorities and schools are doing to raise the nutritional standards of school meals.
	In March 2005 the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Ruth Kelly, announced a 235 million package to transform the quality of school meals. In October 2005, as part of a three year package and paid as part of their Standards Fund Allocations, schools received a share of 30 million to enable them to fund local improvements such as increased training and working hours for school cooks. A further 60 million (30 million/30 million) will be paid in 2006 and 2007. Over the same period, local authorities will receive, 130 million (30 million/50 million/50 million).
	Barnet local authority received 176,529 from the Targeted School Meals Grant for 200506. In addition, schools were each awarded a lump sum of 1,070 per primary school and 1,500 per secondary school, with an additional amount per pupil. The per pupil amount for PRUs and all schools except nursery schools is 50p; for nursery schools it is 50p for half of FTE pupils, to reflect the fact that fewer pupils in nursery schools take school meals.

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 15-year-olds attending (a) faith schools and (b) other maintained schools achieved five or more grades A* to C at GCSE or equivalent (i) in any subject and (ii) including GCSEs in English and mathematics in each year since 1996.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, figures for 2005 have been provided in the table.
	
		GCSE and equivalent results of 15-year-old pupils in maintained mainstream schools, 2005
		
			  Pupils % achieving 5+ A*-C % achieving 5+ A*-C inc. English and mathematics 
		
		
			 Faith schools 85,824 62.6 49.9 
			 Other schools 489,301 54.3 41.8 
			 Total 575,125 55.5 43.0

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 15-year-olds in receipt of free school meals attending (a) faith schools and (b) other maintained schools achieved five or more grades A*-C at GCSE or equivalent (i) in any subject and (ii) including GCSE in English and mathematics in each year since 1996.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, figures for 2005 have been provided as follows.
	
		GCSE and equivalent results of 15-year-old pupils in receipt of free school meals in maintained mainstream schools, 2005
		
			  Pupils Percentage achieving 5+ A*-C Percentage achieving 5+ A*-C inc. English and mathematics 
		
		
			 Faith schools 10,229 37.4 23.3 
			 Other schools 66,269 30.1 17.9 
			 Total 76,498 31.1 18.6

GCSEs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools have taken steps to address under-performance in GCSEs of white working-class boys in receipt of free school meals.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold information to be able to identify all the schools that have, or are, tackling this issue. It does support programmes which target underperformance, such as the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust's project for Raising Achievement Transforming Learning, which aims to challenge and empower schools to review their current practice and look at how to move this forward through engaging with mentor schools. In addition, the National Education Breakthrough Programme has successfully used rapid cycle change management to help schools raise the motivation, attendance and attainment of cohorts of underachieving boys.
	The Department also encourages schools to identify where there is underperformance, for example by using the Pupil Achievement Tracker, and to offer appropriately targeted support to those pupils. The introduction of School Improvement Partners for all schools will provide a further opportunity for schools to analyse and reflect on the progress made by all groups of pupils and to develop targeted improvement strategies to support those pupils whose progress has fallen behind expectations. Advice, guidance and resources are also available to schools and teachers from the Secondary National Strategy.

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the marks in GCSE history are awarded by each examination board for (a) course work, (b) historical knowledge and (c) skills-based knowledge.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is set out in the following table for the three unitary awarding bodies in England.
	
		
			 Awarding Body and their Full Course history GCSE specifications Percentage of the marks allocated to coursework (internal assessment) Percentage of the marks allocated to Historical Skills(59) Percentage of the marks allocated to Historical Knowledge and Understanding(60) 
		
		
			 AQA Specification A 25 40 60 
			 AQA Specification B (61)25 40 60 
			 AQA Specification C 25 40 60 
			 EDEXCEL Specification A 25 40 60 
			 EDEXCEL Specification B 25 40 60 
			 EDEXCEL Specification C 25 40 60 
			 OCR Specification A 25 40 60 
			 OCR Specification B 25 40 60 
			 OCR Specification C 25 39.5 60.5 
		
	
	(59) Historical Skills
	The criteria permit between 20 per cent. and 40 per cent. of the total marks to be allocated to the following two assessment objectives:
	Assessment 1: Candidates demonstrate their ability to use historical sources critically in their content, by comprehending, analysing, evaluating and interpreting them;
	Assessment 2: Candidates demonstrate their ability to comprehend, analyse, and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, how and why historical events, people, situations and changes have been interpreted and represented in different ways.
	(60) Historical Knowledge and Understanding
	The criteria permit between 60 per cent. and 80 per cent. of the total marks to be allocated to this assessment objective, as follows:
	Candidates demonstrate their ability to recall, select, organise and deploy knowledge of the specification content to communicate it through description, analysis and explanation of:
	the events, people, changes and issues studied;
	the key features and characteristics of the periods, societies or situations studied.
	(61) Coursework is optionalcandidates can take a written paper instead.

GCSEs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) boys and (b) girls in England gained five or more GCSE grades A* to C in each of the last three years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested can be found in the following table.
	
		GCSE and equivalent attempts and achievements, 2002/032004/05(62)
		
			  Number of 15-year-old pupils(63) Number achieving 5+A*-C(64) Percentage achieving 5+A*-C 
			 Academic year Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total 
		
		
			 2002/03 317,494 304,628 622,122 152,088 177,294 329,382 47.9 58.2 52.9 
			 2003/04 327,410 316,150 643,560 159,751 186,042 345,793 48.8 58.8 53.7 
			 2004/05 324,013 312,783 636,796 166,442 191,971 358,413 51.4 61.4 56.3 
		
	
	(62) Figures for 2002/03 include GCSEs/ GNVQs. Figures from 2003/04 include GCSE and other equivalent qualifications approved pre-16.
	(63) Age at start of academic year i.e. 31 August.
	(64) Includes achievements for these pupils in other academic years.

GCSEs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many girls undertook GCSE courses in England in 2005; and what proportion did not achieve a graded result.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested can be found in the following table.
	
		GCSE attempts and achievements of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all schools by the end of 2004/05
		
			 Academic year 2004/05  
		
		
			 Number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4(65) attempting GCSE 
			 Boys 310,898 
			 Girls 305,868 
			 Total 616,766 
			 Number achieving A*-G(66) 
			 Boys 4,952 
			 Girls 3,561 
			 Total 8,513 
			 Percentage not achieving A*-G 
			 Boys 1.6 
			 Girls 1.2 
			 Total 1.4 
		
	
	(65) Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2004/05 academic year.
	(66) Includes achievements for these pupils in other academic years.

Grafton Village School

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will meet parents of children from Grafton Village School to discuss its possible closure;
	(2)  on what basis the decision was made to close the Grafton Village School in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency.

Jacqui Smith: Since September 1999 decisions on school closures have been determined by either (a) the relevant local authority (for proposals it published where there were no objections), (b) the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) or, (c) where the SOC has been unable to agree a unanimous decision, the independent school adjudicator. Provisions contained within the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 do not allow Ministers to intervene in such cases.
	At their meeting on 15 September, Shropshire SOC unanimously agreed to approve the proposal submitted by Shropshire county council and the Governing Body of Bicton Primary school to discontinue Grafton Primary school and enlarge Bicton Primary school. Approval being conditional upon planning permission being granted for an enlargement to Bicton school.
	As they were already reported, their reasons were:
	significant deficiencies in the present premises at both schools;
	the children of both schools would benefit from education provided in 21st century surroundings;
	implications of further travel to school did not outweigh the clear benefits of the new provision;
	the proposal did not reduce denominational provision and admissions and the admissions policy was not based on denominational criteria.
	Overall, the Committee considered that the evidence presented was strongly in favour of the proposals and that the best interests of both staff and pupils would be met by SOC approval. Shropshire county council are now under a statutory duty to implement the proposal as approved by the SOC. Given this statutory position the Secretary of State is unable to meet the parents of children from Grafton school.

Grammar Schools

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what percentage of pupils who are being educated in a grammar school live outside the school's local education authority boundary;
	(2)  what proportion of pupils who live inside the local education boundary are being educated at a grammar school within that local education authority.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 March 2006
	The information requested has been provided in the following table.
	
		England
		
			  Number and percentage 
		
		
			 Number of resident pupils attending secondary schools within local authroity(67) 749,148 
			 Number of resident pupils attending grammar schools within local authority 87,257 
			 Percentage of resident pupils attending grammar schools within local authority 11.6 
			 Total grammar school pupils 110,983 
			 Grammar school pupils residing outside school local authority 23,377 
			 Percentage of grammar school pupils residing outside school local authority 21.1 
			 Grammar school pupils with unknown residence 349 
		
	
	(67) Includes secondary, middle deemed secondary, academies and city technology colleges.
	(68) Includes pupils aged 15 and under.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census 2005

Grange School, Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will visit Grange School in Shrewsbury to meet teachers and pupils.

Ruth Kelly: I have no plans to visit Grange School in Shrewsbury at present.

Higher Education

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students who entered higher education in each year since 1996 went to universities that are members of (a) the Russell Group, (b) the 1994 Group and (c) the Coalition of Modern Universities; and what proportion in each category were from each socioeconomic group.

Bill Rammell: Information on the social background of entrants to higher education is published annually by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in Performance Indicators in Higher Education. For every higher education institution in the UK, the figures show the numbers and proportions of young, full-time entrants to first degree courses from social classes HIM, IV and V (for 2001/02 and earlier) and socio-economic groups 4, 5, 6 and 7 (from 2002/03). This gives a partial picture due to the exclusion of entrants to other undergraduate courses, part-time and mature students from the figures. The aggregate figures for the various institutional groupings are summarised in the table.
	
		Young entrants to full-time first degree courses 1997/98 to2001/02
		
			 Total young entrants Russell Group 1994 group CMU All HEIs 
		
		
			 1997/98 50,205 17,610 57,135 216,210 
			 1998/99 51,610 17,640 57,575 216,130 
			 1999/2000 53,110 18,250 57,215 219,790 
			 2000/01 53,265 19,045 55,670 221,140 
			 2001/02 56,885 20,500 56,360 229,750 
			 of which: 
			 Percentage from social classes HIM, IV, V(69) 
			 1997/98 15.8 16.6 33.3 25.0 
			 1998/99 15.6 17.4 33.2 25.0 
			 1999/2000 16.0 17.2 33.7 25.3 
			 2000/01 16.5 17.7 33.7 25.4 
			 2001/02 16.4 17.5 34.6 25.8 
		
	
	(69) The percentages are based on students who provided details of their background, and exclude non-respondents. Social classes HIM, IV and V cover students from skilled manual, semi-skilled and unskilled backgrounds.
	Note:
	Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 and percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
	Source:
	HESA
	
		Young entrants to full-time first degree courses 2002/03 to2003/04
		
			 Total young entrants Russell Group 1994 group CMU All HEIs 
		
		
			 2002/03 58,480 21,890 56,945 239,180 
			 2003/04 61,370 22,355 56,755 241,445 
			 of which: 
			 From socio-economic groups 47(70) 
			 2002/03 19.1 19.1 36.7 28.4 
			 2003/04 19.0 20.3 36.7 28.6 
		
	
	(70) The percentages are based on students who provided details of their background, and exclude non-respondents. National Statistics socio-economic classifications (NS-SEC) 47 cover students from small employers and own account workers, lower supervisory and technical, semi-routine and routine occupational backgrounds.
	Note:
	Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5 and percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
	Source:
	HESA

Home Teaching

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the proportion of children of school age who are being educated at home.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1916W.

Home-School Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the schools which use home-school agreements in each local education authority.

Jacqui Smith: We do not collect information centrally on which schools use Home-School Agreements in each local authority area. However, we expect all maintained schools to have a Home-School Agreement in place as this has been a legal requirement since 1 September 1999.

Home-School Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the maintained schools in each local education authority which do not give information on pupils' progress to parents at least three times a year.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect information on how frequently maintained schools give information on pupils' progress to parents.
	There is currently a legal requirement for maintained schools to provide a written pupil report to parents once a year and an opportunity for face-to-face discussion of that report with the pupil's teacher.
	The White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools For All, sets out our plans for providing information to parents. We want all schools to provide information to parents on the progress of their child at least three times a year with regular opportunities to discuss with teachers how they can support their child's learning.

Industrial Design Courses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the universities which provide industrial design-related programmes; and how many are (a) undergraduate programmes and (b) specifically industrial design courses.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information covers academic year 200607, and is taken from the UCAS website. This covers full-time first degree, HND and foundation degree courses only. Comparable information for part-time undergraduate courses, and postgraduate courses, are not available centrally.
	Institutions offering Industrial Design courses 1 in 2006/07:
	Basingstoke College of Technology
	Bedford College
	The University of Bolton
	Bournemouth University
	The University of Bradford
	University of Brighton
	University of the West of England, Bristol
	Brunel University
	University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
	Carmarthenshire College
	University of Central England in Birmingham
	University of Central Lancashire
	Coventry University
	De Montfort University
	University of Dundee
	University of Glamorgan
	Great Yarmouth College
	University of Hertfordshire
	Hopwood Hall College
	Kent Institute of Art and Design
	Kingston University
	University of Lincoln
	London South Bank University
	Loughborough University
	University of Luton
	Middlesex University
	The North East Wales Institute of Higher Education
	Northumbria University
	Nottingham Trent University
	University of Plymouth
	Plymouth College of Art and Design
	The Robert Gordon University
	The University of Salford
	Sheffield Hallam University
	South Nottingham College
	Staffordshire University
	The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College
	Swansea Institute of Higher Education
	University of Teesside
	University of the Arts London
	University of Wolverhampton
	1 Listed as industrial design on the UCAS course search website.
	Source: UCAS website course search

Industrial Design Courses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people graduated from design-related courses in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: The latest figures are given in the following table:
	
		First degree qualifiers in design studies from UK HE institutions
		
			  Domicile 
			  Home EU Overseas Total 
		
		
			 2000/01 9,410 640 750 10,800 
			 2001/02 9,765 705 655 11,125 
			 2002/03 10,560 690 755 12,005 
			 2003/04 11,090 645 910 12,645 
			 2004/05 11,565 650 895 13,110 
		
	
	Note:
	1. igures are rounded to the nearest 5.
	2. igures for 2001/02 and earlier are based upon the major subject of the qualification. For 2002/03 onwards, figures by subject are apportioned between the subjects studied.
	Source:
	HESA student record data

Intelligent Accountability Framework

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress she has made in replacing accountability requirements on schools for departmental skills programmes with the intelligent accountability framework of the New Relationship with Schools; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Good progress is being made in putting in place intelligent accountability arrangements as part of the New Relationship with Schools. These arrangements now include self-evaluation by each school to identify strengths and areas for development, which plays an important part in Ofsted's new inspection framework; production of a school profile to replace the governor's annual report, to inform parents and the public about the school, in particular its achievements and priorities for improvement; from April 2006 the removal of the application process for many streams of funding and the use of a school plan annex to bid for others from the Department; and the introduction of school improvement partners for secondary schools by September 2006 and for primary schools by April 2008, acting on behalf of local authorities to provide effective challenge and support to schools, much of this from serving and former head teachers.

International Initiatives

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on recent international initiatives involving her Department, with particular reference to (a) India, (b) China and (c) Africa.

Bill Rammell: The Department is providing funding for the establishment of a new Africa Unit at the Association of Commonwealth Universities which will facilitate and promote sustainable collaborative partnerships between African and UK universities.
	In September 2005, the Prime Minister announced a 10 million initiative over five years to re-vitalise links between educational institutions in the UK and India. The development of sustainable, long-term partnerships between institutions will be key to the success of this initiative. I expect to announce details of this initiative in April.
	The UK has made substantial progress in strengthening its educational links with China. A new scholarship programme, jointly funded by the Chinese and UK Governments, to enable PhD students from China to study in the UK was launched in February 2005. Both Governments have agreed to review progress on an annual basis at a ministerial education summit meeting. The next meeting will be held on 4 April in London.
	There are more than 160 Higher Education partnerships between UK and Chinese institutions including the setting up of a campus by the University of Nottingham in Ningbo. 73 new school links were created in 2004/05. In December 2005, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an additional 4 million over the next two financial years to support scholarships and encourage academic exchanges and collaboration between UK and Chinese centres of excellence.
	We are also engaging with partners in the Middle East. The Department is proposing to support a UK/Iraq initiative for the development of the vocational education system in Iraq through partnership with the UK Further Education sector.
	In addition, we are working with the British Council and Foreign Office to develop programmes for education collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Libya.

International Students

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many international students were studying in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: The latest information is given in the following table:
	
		Enrolments in UK Higher Education Institutions 1995/96 to2004/05
		
			 Academic year UK domiciled Non UK domiciled Total 
		
		
			 1995/96 1,497,185 184,625 1,681,810 
			 1996/97 1,533,050 187,000 1,720,050 
			 1997/98 1,558,590 200,965 1,759,555 
			 1998/99 1,598,945 207,130 1,806,075 
			 1999/2000 1,604,520 211,840 1,816,360 
			 2000/01 1,643,865 219,725 1,863,590 
			 2001/02 1,699,885 227,275 1,927,160 
			 2002/03 1,764,950 255,235 2,020,185 
			 2003/04 1,832,975 275,480 2,108,455 
			 2004/05 1,870,715 288,430 2,159,145 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 5, and are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December, to maintain a consistent time series across all years.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record

Keith Hudson

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the individuals and organisations consulted in helping her reach a decision in the case of the Keith Hudson List 99 determination.

Ruth Kelly: Representatives from the following organisations were consulted in reaching a decision:
	More House school
	Surrey Social Services Department
	National Identification Service, New Scotland Yard
	Croydon Law Courts
	HM Customs and Excise
	Lewes Crown court
	East Sussex county council
	The Care Standards Tribunal
	Sussex police
	A consultant Forensic Psychiatrist
	The Department does not release the names of individuals who supply information or evidence.

Local Education Authority Funding

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much each local education authority in England has received in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is contained within the table as follows:
	
		Total funding for pupils aged 319 --  million
		
			 LEA name 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 87.0 92.6 97.8 107.6 115.7 122.0 131.1 138.7 143.2 
			 Barnet 144.4 149.8 157.9 168.4 180.9 189.6 199.4 206.7 212.2 
			 Barnsley 94.0 97.6 102.9 111.3 116.6 120.4 128.3 133.0 137.2 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 66.1 69.2 73.3 79.8 83.5 85.8 90.1 94.0 98.9 
			 Bedfordshire 174.1 179.6 188.1 206.5 220.6 230.7 238.5 248.2 258.6 
			 Bexley 110.5 116.6 122.1 133.4 143.1 148.5 151.8 158.6 165.1 
			 Birmingham 542.6 562.1 595.7 654.7 690.0 709.3 745.0 772.4 812.6 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 76.7 80.0 85.4 92.5 96.7 98.4 105.3 108.8 113.3 
			 Blackpool 54.5 58.2 62.6 70.1 73.9 77.6 82.9 86.0 89.3 
			 Bolton 124.7 130.0 138.1 151.5 156.9 162.1 168.4 175.7 186.0 
			 Bournemouth 60.4 61.9 64.9 71.6 74.5 76.0 77.6 80.2 82.5 
			 Bracknell Forest 45.0 46.8 48.6 52.3 54.3 55.6 57.9 60.4 63.6 
			 Bradford 255.4 261.8 277.6 306.2 323.3 330.4 341.8 354.3 371.2 
			 Brent 133.8 136.3 143.5 154.3 163.6 171.8 188.0 196.4 205.9 
			 Brighton and Hove 87.7 91.7 97.9 109.2 115.5 118.3 121.3 125.3 127.4 
			 Bristol, City of 144.8 149.0 156.5 172.8 180.8 184.4 192.9 195.5 204.2 
			 Bromley 131.2 139.0 147.1 160.9 172.6 180.7 189.2 198.3 206.5 
			 Buckinghamshire 209.3 216.0 228.2 247.3 264.1 275.3 287.5 302.4 315.1 
			 Bury 75.5 79.6 84.0 91.1 95.3 96.9 102.7 107.7 110.9 
			 Calderdale 94.1 97.1 104.2 113.7 119.3 123.8 130.5 136.5 142.9 
			 Cambridgeshire 202.7 210.6 223.9 243.9 255.6 263.9 282.9 297.9 310.2 
			 Camden 96.9 98.0 104.3 114.3 119.2 125.4 123.2 130.3 133.8 
			 Cheshire 283.0 295.3 307.5 333.2 349.3 360.0 379.5 394.5 409.8 
			 Cornwall 199.6 210.2 222.7 244.2 254.4 262.8 271.4 282.6 293.3 
			 Coventry 145.6 152.8 160.8 174.7 181.0 187.2 194.4 201.2 210.3 
			 Croydon 147.8 155.1 164.5 180.5 191.5 199.1 206.2 216.7 221.9 
			 Cumbria 204.8 216.7 228.3 251.4 263.8 271.3 285.7 298.1 309.2 
			 Darlington 42.2 43.9 46.6 51.2 53.9 55.0 58.0 60.6 62.8 
			 Derby 103.1 107.9 114.9 125.0 132.4 135.7 143.2 149.8 155.3 
			 Derbyshire 290.2 301.8 318.9 352.1 373.9 387.5 407.0 424.5 442.8 
			 Devon 257.4 271.9 287.0 311.7 327.0 342.4 359.1 372.4 389.5 
			 Doncaster 145.6 151.1 157.8 170.1 177.8 183.4 195.9 201.7 204.3 
			 Dorset 143.0 149.2 158.6 174.8 184.6 193.4 202.8 212.4 220.1 
			 Dudley 124.6 132.9 140.3 152.1 160.2 165.6 174.0 181.5 192.9 
			 Durham 219.5 227.0 238.1 258.8 272.8 277.2 288.8 298.7 311.5 
			 Ealing 135.6 143.0 151.2 165.3 176.1 181.1 193.7 199.3 208.4 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 127.1 133.7 142.1 156.9 164.6 172.6 180.1 187.2 194.6 
			 East Sussex 184.5 192.8 204.5 225.5 239.8 249.3 258.5 271.2 278.3 
			 Enfield 147.0 152.8 161.8 175.2 190.4 201.2 209.5 221.5 229.1 
			 Essex 556.9 580.2 611.6 667.3 711.8 740.1 775.0 810.0 834.5 
			 Gateshead 83.0 87.6 92.0 102.1 107.4 109.3 114.7 117.9 121.0 
			 Gloucestershire 227.5 237.3 252.4 279.4 293.7 304.6 318.1 329.3 343.6 
			 Greenwich 136.8 140.3 148.8 164.2 170.5 178.3 186.4 194.7 200.8 
			 Hackney 114.7 115.7 124.8 135.8 141.8 147.7 155.6 161.9 172.3 
			 Halton 65.2 66.6 69.2 75.6 79.3 79.7 82.8 85.2 86.8 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 68.3 69.9 74.3 83.0 90.0 94.9 98.0 103.0 104.0 
			 Hampshire 475.4 494.8 520.2 565.8 604.1 623.8 644.7 668.2 686.0 
			 Haringey 117.5 120.6 131.9 145.9 155.7 163.3 165.4 176.1 178.8 
			 Harrow 88.1 90.5 93.9 102.4 108.3 112.3 119.0 124.0 129.5 
			 Hartlepool 45.1 47.2 49.6 54.4 57.3 58.4 62.7 64.5 67.1 
			 Havering 105.9 110.2 113.8 124.2 133.9 137.1 142.0 148.9 153.0 
			 Herefordshire 64.7 68.3 73.0 79.9 83.9 87.3 92.6 96.0 99.0 
			 Hertfordshire 474.7 494.4 518.2 563.4 599.3 625.0 647.5 677.6 693.9 
			 Hillingdon 114.9 119.2 125.8 137.5 148.4 155.6 167.3 176.1 183.4 
			 Hounslow 116.6 118.4 124.9 135.2 143.8 150.2 159.8 166.2 173.1 
			 Isle of Wight 56.6 60.0 62.5 70.1 74.1 76.8 78.4 81.4 84.3 
			 Islington 99.0 102.3 108.4 120.7 126.5 128.9 134.3 139.2 143.1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 42.2 44.0 47.4 53.0 56.6 60.6 63.9 67.5 69.3 
			 Kent 585.3 613.9 645.2 707.0 756.2 790.9 827.1 874.5 896.1 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 124.7 128.1 134.3 147.7 153.8 157.0 162.3 165.6 169.1 
			 Kingston upon Thames 57.6 59.1 61.9 67.3 72.3 76.4 81.0 86.2 91.3 
			 Kirklees 176.2 183.0 194.1 212.2 222.3 228.7 241.4 252.7 261.0 
			 Knowsley 91.1 94.4 99.2 109.2 115.6 116.9 118.3 119.4 119.1 
			 Lambeth 118.8 122.7 133.4 145.2 152.6 158.2 166.5 174.1 178.4 
			 Lancashire 497.5 521.2 549.9 600.9 627.8 640.3 657.3 683.9 706.6 
			 Leeds 312.9 324.5 343.2 378.1 398.5 408.9 425.3 437.8 451.0 
			 Leicester 148.1 151.9 160.4 171.9 177.7 183.1 193.7 199.8 206.5 
			 Leicestershire 244.0 253.6 268.4 292.6 311.9 325.8 338.8 354.2 366.4 
			 Lewisham 134.5 140.6 149.3 164.7 173.7 178.4 186.7 193.2 197.0 
			 Lincolnshire 262.1 273.5 291.5 319.4 341.5 358.3 380.3 401.0 420.3 
			 Liverpool 256.4 267.1 278.2 307.3 319.1 325.2 330.4 336.7 338.7 
			 Luton 95.9 97.0 103.1 112.3 118.8 124.6 131.6 137.0 141.3 
			 Manchester 223.1 231.2 245.7 271.5 282.6 289.1 297.0 302.2 310.3 
			 Medway 126.9 130.0 138.0 152.8 161.8 166.9 170.7 177.5 181.1 
			 Merton 71.8 73.5 77.0 82.2 86.9 87.5 93.2 97.6 103.6 
			 Middlesbrough 74.3 76.9 80.8 86.7 90.4 90.8 89.6 87.6 90.4 
			 Milton Keynes 102.3 103.8 108.5 116.8 124.2 130.4 138.6 149.1 156.9 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 124.3 125.7 131.0 142.0 149.6 153.4 158.8 161.7 166.1 
			 Newham 163.7 171.3 183.1 203.7 219.0 229.1 241.1 249.5 258.0 
			 Norfolk 306.2 316.3 336.0 368.4 392.2 407.9 422.0 441.8 458.1 
			 North East Lincolnshire 78.9 82.1 86.2 94.6 98.8 100.0 102.8 105.2 107.7 
			 North Lincolnshire 69.3 72.9 76.6 83.5 86.6 88.1 92.5 96.1 99.5 
			 North Somerset 73.0 76.2 80.6 86.7 91.2 94.9 100.5 105.5 111.2 
			 North Tyneside 84.0 86.8 90.3 99.5 105.1 109.5 115.3 118.3 121.2 
			 North Yorkshire 229.9 241.8 257.2 283.6 300.3 311.3 327.1 338.1 349.5 
			 Northamptonshire 273.1 284.6 301.7 328.1 346.0 357.2 382.6 396.1 408.8 
			 Northumberland 140.6 144.1 150.7 164.2 173.9 178.9 187.0 194.7 203.5 
			 Nottingham 137.7 130.0 138.8 150.3 156.8 160.1 166.8 170.4 176.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 308.8 326.9 343.8 376.0 392.9 404.7 422.8 437.6 452.7 
			 Oldham 116.7 120.3 128.2 138.2 144.5 150.3 157.0 163.0 171.4 
			 Oxfordshire 237.0 246.0 257.0 279.8 297.8 309.9 322.0 337.7 347.3 
			 Peterborough 86.7 89.6 92.9 100.9 105.8 110.4 116.9 121.9 127.3 
			 Plymouth 118.1 120.9 127.5 138.9 142.3 147.3 150.9 155.5 161.1 
			 Poole 54.0 55.1 58.1 62.7 65.7 68.2 70.1 72.1 74.9 
			 Portsmouth 76.5 80.3 84.6 93.5 98.3 100.7 102.4 104.7 105.6 
			 Reading 50.3 53.3 56.7 62.0 63.9 66.7 69.6 72.0 75.3 
			 Redbridge 122.8 128.2 137.3 150.4 160.3 167.8 174.3 183.9 190.9 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 71.5 73.9 76.8 83.2 87.6 88.9 93.3 96.0 97.7 
			 Richmond upon Thames 57.1 58.4 61.2 65.8 69.8 71.7 75.0 78.9 83.1 
			 Rochdale 102.4 107.1 114.0 126.0 131.6 137.2 142.7 147.6 153.4 
			 Rotherham 125.3 128.1 137.0 151.6 159.8 163.5 174.3 179.7 184.9 
			 Rutland 13.0 13.2 13.9 15.0 16.3 16.8 17.9 18.9 20.0 
			 Salford 101.4 106.3 112.2 124.2 130.7 131.4 134.7 138.7 141.0 
			 Sandwell 145.0 152.0 159.3 170.7 179.5 184.5 195.3 203.1 212.2 
			 Sefton 130.2 135.6 141.8 155.6 164.1 168.9 177.4 181.3 186.3 
			 Sheffield 207.5 216.0 232.4 259.9 274.1 282.7 295.7 304.8 313.5 
			 Shropshire 108.6 112.4 118.6 128.6 136.5 141.9 150.4 155.8 160.6 
			 Slough 61.2 65.1 69.3 75.6 80.5 84.4 88.3 92.8 95.9 
			 Solihull 92.1 97.0 102.3 111.5 117.1 119.5 126.9 130.8 134.7 
			 Somerset 185.2 193.8 206.1 227.0 241.0 250.1 261.8 273.7 282.5 
			 South Gloucestershire 98.0 103.4 110.6 119.9 127.1 132.9 141.4 146.6 152.9 
			 South Tyneside 73.4 76.9 80.8 88.2 93.1 94.1 98.6 99.8 102.1 
			 Southampton 91.2 96.2 101.5 110.9 116.4 117.5 120.1 125.7 125.7 
			 Southend-on-Sea 72.5 76.1 80.2 88.6 95.2 100.8 104.8 111.1 115.4 
			 Southwark 131.9 136.0 146.1 160.3 171.9 181.7 190.3 194.6 205.6 
			 St. Helens 82.2 85.6 88.5 97.4 104.3 106.6 112.4 115.4 117.9 
			 Staffordshire 343.1 356.1 374.2 404.5 421.9 433.8 456.4 472.7 487.5 
			 Stockport 110.9 116.6 122.3 133.6 138.5 140.8 147.7 151.9 155.5 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 87.8 90.2 96.0 105.7 111.5 113.8 119.3 122.2 124.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 107.2 111.5 116.2 127.7 134.7 138.1 145.7 150.3 154.7 
			 Suffolk 270.3 278.1 290.1 318.4 337.0 350.1 363.8 380.0 392.0 
			 Sunderland 139.5 143.8 149.5 162.4 170.9 173.7 181.6 188.0 188.4 
			 Surrey 380.1 397.2 418.7 456.4 487.4 503.5 524.5 550.2 574.4 
			 Sutton 83.4 86.5 91.0 99.4 107.3 113.8 120.7 129.6 134.3 
			 Swindon 77.0 79.9 85.8 93.2 97.1 99.2 105.0 108.4 113.6 
			 Tameside 101.2 105.4 111.7 121.3 127.6 130.7 136.0 141.5 145.4 
			 Telford and Wrekin 70.4 73.2 78.0 86.6 91.9 94.1 98.3 102.9 106.6 
			 Thurrock 63.3 66.2 70.4 76.9 81.8 85.0 89.1 95.0 97.8 
			 Torbay 52.8 54.6 58.1 63.2 65.6 68.7 71.1 74.4 77.2 
			 Tower Hamlets 152.5 159.9 174.2 186.9 198.3 205.8 214.1 223.6 235.7 
			 Trafford 96.2 99.3 106.3 115.4 120.9 122.6 128.3 132.5 137.8 
			 Wakefield 137.9 143.0 151.0 165.7 173.5 178.2 186.4 192.1 202.9 
			 Walsall 133.4 137.2 146.0 158.2 164.7 170.2 178.1 184.7 195.5 
			 Waltham Forest 118.0 121.0 130.7 143.1 153.7 159.9 165.2 172.0 175.8 
			 Wandsworth 108.3 109.8 118.1 127.3 134.0 135.9 146.4 154.0 160.0 
			 Warrington 83.7 88.1 91.4 100.2 105.2 108.0 112.1 114.9 120.0 
			 Warwickshire 198.7 208.5 220.6 239.2 252.0 262.5 279.6 290.8 301.3 
			 West Berkshire 64.3 67.9 71.6 79.1 83.9 87.6 93.3 98.0 104.2 
			 West Sussex 289.9 301.5 314.6 341.8 365.1 381.7 396.4 415.1 427.0 
			 Westminster 72.3 73.6 79.9 87.9 92.0 97.5 104.9 110.7 115.1 
			 Wigan 135.0 140.2 147.3 160.5 167.8 170.4 179.1 185.5 191.7 
			 Wiltshire 168.8 176.7 187.6 204.9 216.8 226.3 240.8 251.0 263.7 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 54.9 57.6 60.2 65.4 69.6 72.3 75.5 79.0 82.8 
			 Wirral 157.7 165.6 173.2 189.6 199.7 206.2 213.6 217.3 222.4 
			 Wokingham 62.5 65.6 68.6 74.4 78.8 81.4 87.9 91.1 95.8 
			 Wolverhampton 120.5 123.9 132.0 143.5 150.3 157.8 164.5 169.8 175.3 
			 Worcestershire 217.0 221.3 232.0 253.2 266.2 274.6 284.2 297.2 310.3 
			 York 64.4 67.1 71.1 78.8 82.5 84.2 86.1 88.6 91.9 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data reported using Real terms figures at 200405 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 23 December 2005.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment / Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 319 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. For those authorities in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 200405, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (200405). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LEAs in future years (either 200607 and 200708 or 200607 to 200809, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LEA).
	4. Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an authority, related funding no longer appears in the series.
	5. Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.1 million.
	6. 199798 figures for authorities subject to Local Government Reorganisation in that year have been estimated, pro-rata to their post LGR figures.

Learning and Skills Council

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had on the future of the Learning and Skills Council in Tamworth; and if she will make a statement;

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had on the future of the Learning and Skills Council in Coventry; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The LSC is embarking upon a major transformation programme that will make it a smaller, more dynamic and more customer-focused organisation. This will build upon its existing strengths; further develop its relationships with providers and with its partners, and help push the highest proportion of its funding out through colleges and providers into front line delivery. At local level, the LSC will develop small teams of professional staff who will support the delivery of its priority objectives through strategic relationships with colleges, providers and other key stakeholders and so ensure that the needs of local employers and learners are met. I fully support the changes the LSC is making as I believe it will help bring about an organisation that is fit for purpose.
	The LSC continues to consult widely on the detail of the restructuring proposals. The effects on organisation and staffing are matters for the LSC. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, has written to my hon. Friends with further information. And a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	Letter from Mark Haysom dated 14 February 2006
	I write in response to your Parliamentary Question on the future of the Learning and Skills Council in Coventry.
	As we have previously discussed the LSC has embarked on our agenda for change this is a radical and transformational programme of six themes to change the further education sector to better meet the needs of employers, to continue to raise quality of provision, simplify funding, share data collection, build business excellence within the sector, and to build the sector's reputation.
	If we are to do this, the LSC must change too. We have introduced a seventh theme of transformation of the LSC itself, strengthening our ability to work locally, while sharing a number of common functions at the regional level. I believe that we can achieve this at a cost saving of approximately 40m and with around 1,300 fewer posts.
	Across the country there will be some 183 local partnership and economic development teams. These teams of highly skilled and experienced education and training professionals will be responsible for developing strategic relationships with colleges, schools and training providers and with our key local stakeholders.
	To support them, we will provide more efficient and effective services at regional level. Building on our experience of regional working to date, we want to create centres in each region from which operational services will be delivered. We will also strengthen the regional level in order that we can respond to regional skills priorities.
	With a stronger regional tier, we have the opportunity to reduce the size of out National Office, We will only do nationally that which must be done nationally-for example, building relationships with national stakeholders and providing clear frameworks to ensure consistency across the LSC.
	These changes will mean that for the Coventry and Warwickshire LSC area we will have approximately 27 people working in two local partnership teams-one for Coventry and one for Warwickshire-and a single economic development team. The new arrangements will provide a closer working relationship between the employers, the LSC, colleges and providers, and other local stakeholders, making the system more responsive to local needs and better able to work for the local community.
	Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is any further information you require.

Learning and Skills Council

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) allocated and (b) actual Learning and Skills Council funding distributed to each relevant educational institution in (i) Hampshire, (ii) Southampton, (iii) Portsmouth and (iv) the Isle of Wight has been in each of the last four years, broken down by (a) 16 to 18 and (b) 19 plus age groups.

Bill Rammell: My Department allocates funds for the post-16 education and training sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) working through 47 local offices. The LSC was established in 2001 bringing the planning and funding of post-16 education together under one body within a framework set by Government.
	On 21 October the Government set out its priorities for post-16 education and training. I set out the Government's priorities for the learning and skills sector and the impact on funding in 200607 and 200708. Full details can be found in Priorities for Success' on the LSC's website. In 200405 the LSC spent 9.2 billion in total on delivering post-16 education and training.
	The Department does not hold figures for post-16 education funding at local level. Some of the information my right hon. Friend requires is available on the LSC's website. I am therefore copying this letter to Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive so that he can respond with the detailed information my right hon. Friend has requested. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Learning and Skills Council

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the performance against targets of London's learning and skills councils in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: My hon. Friend and I receive regular performance reports and have regular meetings with the LSC to discuss performance. The LSC leads on delivering four PSA targets: skills for life, apprenticeships, level 2 at 19 and adult level 2. Since its inception in 2001, the LSC has had a strong record of success. It has delivered two key PSAs: the 2004 skills for life target and the 2005 apprenticeship target. It is leading on delivery of the level 2 at 19 target set for 2006 and 2008current indications are that the 2006 target is likely to be met. The LSC also lead on the adult level 2 target for 2010 and current estimates show that the 2007 milestone will be met.
	As well as reporting to Ministers, the LSC has its own internal performance management system. This includes performance reporting and review by its council and management group on a regular basis and a six monthly scrutiny by the chief executive of each of the nine regions, including London, through a formal performance review with the regional directors. In addition, the LSC's annual report includes details of the performance against targets of each of the local LSCs.
	In line with overall performance the LSC is performing well in London. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, has written to my hon. Friend with an assessment of the LSC's performance in London and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 14 February 2006
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Questions where you asked the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, a) what assessment she has made of the performance of London's Learning and Skills Council against targets in each year since 2001 and b) what the total budget of London's learning and skills councils was in each year since 2001, broken down by spending on (a) school sixth forms, (b) the further education sector, (c) work-based training for young people, (d) workforce development, (e) adult and community learning, (f) information and advice for adults, (g) education- business links and (h) administrative costs. I can provide the following information.
	The table below shows the total expenditure of the Learning and Skills Council relating to the Greater London region during the financial years* 200102 to 200405.
	
		
			  Financial year 
			 Description 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 FE Participation 605,100,086 651,193,843 738,714,345 752,176,462 
			 Workbased Learning Young People (inc. E2E) 47,064,248 44,138,691 61,228,381 66,245,333 
			 Workbased Learning Adult 11,986,005 13,482,109 17,855,659 15,206,987 
			 School Sixth Forms 0 229,928,529 264,500,174 291,560,395 
			 Workforce Development (inc. ETP) 8,949,942 8,919,641 13,827,253 17,330,033 
			 Adult Community Learning 34,247,880 41,080,676 45,109,226 45,951,998 
			 Information Advice and Guidance. 3,331,577 4,569,073 4,789,067 4,773,610 
			 Education Business Links 3,141,476 3,558,673 4,026,088 3,928,837 
			 Administration 22,644,467 18,615,552 18,461,617 15,583,134 
			 Other programmes and apportioned costs 107,214,320 210,672,212 278,410,883 300,035,591 
			 Greater London total 843 680,000 1,226,159,000 1,446,922,692 1,512,792,380 
		
	
	The LSC is a national unitary organisation and performance is monitored and assessed at a national level, through formal quarterly performance reviews between Ministers and the LSC's Chair and Chief Executive. The quarterly reviews give an opportunity to give feedback, advice and guidance in a timely manner ensuring performance targets continue to be achieved.
	To corroborate the effectiveness of this process, the following is recent evidence of improving performance, actively supported by the LSC:
	Participation for 16 and 17 year olds is now much higher than the national average and is the highest when compared to other regions. 78% of 16 year olds are in full time education (compared to 72% nationally) and 67% of 17 year olds (compared to 59% nationally). Young people in school sixth forms have increased by 6% in 2003/04 against a national increase of 3%.
	Success rates in Further Education have risen to 68% in London during 2003/04; an improvement of 7% compared to an increase of 6% nationally.
	All 13 General FE and sixth form colleges inspected in 200405 were found to be at least satisfactorysix of which were graded as outstanding.
	8 FE colleges have been awarded Beacon Status.
	47% of LSC ESOL provision is delivered in London.
	London exceeded its contribution by 25% towards the Skills for Life milestone.
	London exceeded its contribution towards Apprenticeship starts in 2003/04 by 5%.
	There has been a 10% fall in NEETs in London.
	Other key facts about the LSC in London For Young People
	Over 161,000 young people aged 1619 were able to benefit from education and training last year (RSP)
	The regional apprenticeship target was exceeded by over 8 percent with 10,932 new entrants starting Apprenticeships by Dec 2005
	The number of young people succeeding at further education colleges has increased from 53.5% in 2000/01 to 65.8% in 2003/04, a 12.5 percentage point increase
	For Adults
	Last year over 510,000 adults took part in learning funded by the LSC
	The number of people undertaking Skills for Life training increased by 12%
	To date this year 05/06 over 45,000 people achieved a basic skills qualification that counted towards the LSC target
	Exceeded their target for Skills for Life, with more than 200,000 learners achieving transferable qualifications by the end of 2004/05
	By the end of September 2005, 12,702 employees have benefited from the NETP in London East
	16 million has been invested in Level 3 qualifications at COVEs across the region, the equivalent of 121,000 qualifications.
	The LSC has two new Regional Directors in post, one focussing on pan-London regeneration/skills issues such as the Olympics and Paralympics Games, Terminal 5, Stratford City and the Thames Gateway, the other focusing on overall regional performance, excellence, partnerships and capability. The remit of the Regional Skills Partnership is being recommended for review to strategically focus on major London issues making certain the influence of its members are used more effectively.
	I hope this information is satisfactory, please do not hesitate to contact me should you require further clarification.

Learning Mentors

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many learning mentors there are in each local education authority.

Jacqui Smith: Learning mentors are one of the strands of the Excellence in Cities (EiC) and Excellence Clusters (EC) initiative. Data relating to the numbers of learning mentors are not collected centrally but figures collected from local sources are shown in the following table. The Department does not hold figures of the numbers of learning mentors outside of this project.
	
		
			 Excellence in Cities Number 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 58 
			 Barnsley 70 
			 Birmingham 623 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 70 
			 Blackpool 65 
			 Bradford 302 
			 Brent 38 
			 Bristol 97 
			 Camden 69 
			 Darlington 41 
			 Doncaster 122 
			 Ealing 44 
			 Enfield 74 
			 Gateshead 30 
			 Greenwich 114 
			 Hackney 89 
			 Halton 66 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 62 
			 Haringey 76 
			 Hartlepool 28 
			 Hillingdon 41 
			 Hounslow 49 
			 Islington 74 
			 Kensington/Chelsea/Westminster 78 
			 Kingston Upon Hull 86 
			 Knowsley 86 
			 Lambeth 84 
			 Leeds 473 
			 Leicester 94 
			 Lewisham 102 
			 Liverpool 199 
			 Manchester 192 
			 Middlesbrough 70 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 68 
			 Newham 133 
			 North Sefton 34 
			 North Tyneside 80 
			 Nottingham 128 
			 Oldham 137 
			 Peterborough 88 
			 Rochdale 98 
			 Rotherham 166 
			 Salford 119 
			 Sandwell 138 
			 Sefton 32 
			 Sheffield 178 
			 South Tyneside 39 
			 Southwark 114 
			 St. Helens 56 
			 Stockton 47 
			 Stoke On Trent 165 
			 Sunderland 90 
			 Telford and Wrekin 28 
			 Tower Hamlets 109 
			 Waltham Forest 90 
			 Wandsworth 78 
			 Wirral 61 
			   
			 Excellence Clusters  
			 Kent 26 
			 Barnet 49 
			 Cumbria 14 
			 Bedfordshire 28 
			 Bexley 40 
			 County Durham 27 
			 Bolton 47 
			 Lincolnshire 106 
			 Somerset 8 
			 Brighton and Hove 37 
			 Bromley 32 
			 Bury 41 
			 Calderdale 24 
			 Derbyshire 31 
			 Northamptonshire 44 
			 Conventry 68 
			 Cheshire 41 
			 Croydon 57 
			 Derby City 94 
			 Dudley 28 
			 Co. Durham 32 
			 Lancashire 20 
			 Cheshire 37 
			 Gloucestershire 54 
			 Kent 32 
			 Norfolk 12 
			 Ne Lincs 50 
			 Hampshire 40 
			 Essex 29 
			 Harrow 20 
			 East Sussex 35 
			 Herefordshire 18 
			 Buckinghamshire 33 
			 Kent 41 
			 Kirklees 89 
			 Lancashire 353 
			 Luton 56 
			 Kent 24 
			 Medway 17 
			 Milton Keynes 47 
			 Oxfordshire 21 
			 Plymouth 17.4 
			 Portsmouth 59 
			 Reading 8 
			 Redcar and Cleavland 79.5 
			 North Lincolnshire 18 
			 Shropshire 32 
			 Slough 48 
			 Solihull 63 
			 Southend On Sea 30 
			 Swindon 27 
			 Tameside 57 
			 Thurrock 16 
			 Trafford 28 
			 Wakefield 100 
			 Walsall 42 
			 Cumbaria 48 
			 Lancashire 21 
			 West Sussex 31 
			 North Somerset 32 
			 Wigan 25 
			 Wolverhampton 78

Lisbon Agenda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policies her Department has adopted to assist the United Kingdom's fulfilment of the Lisbon Agenda criteria.

Bill Rammell: The Government strongly supports the renewed Lisbon focus on jobs and growth as the best way to meet the challenges of globalisation and boost prosperity and living standards for all. The UK national reform programme details our policy response to these challenges.
	We expect the spring council in March to emphasise the importance of implementation of national commitments to reform.

London Academy, Edgware

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the academic results of the London Academy, Edgware since it became a city academy; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The London Academy opened in September 2004 and has already made excellent progress in improving educational opportunities for young people in the Barnet area. The proportion of pupils gaining 5 or more good GCSEs increased in 2005 to 48 per cent. up nine percentage points from the 39 per cent. achieved in the last year of the predecessor school.
	Ofsted have recently made a monitoring visit to London Academy and reported that Pupils' rapid progress is a testimony to the positive ethos for learning. The Academy has risen to the top five per cent of schools nationally for progress for 11 to 14 year olds, and the top three per cent for 14 to 16 year olds.
	This is a particularly impressive achievement given that the Academy serves some of the most socially deprived wards in the country. Over 45 per cent. of the pupils in Years 7 to 10 are entitled to free school meals, increasing to 57 per cent. in Year 11; over half of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups; well over a third of the pupils have a language other than English; and a similar percentage have a special educational need. The Academy is also a local authority-designated base for 30 pupils with speech and communication difficulties.

Looked-after Children

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the proposed consultation on proposals for transforming outcomes for looked-after children.

Maria Eagle: We announced in the Schools White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All that we would be consulting on a wide-ranging set of proposals for transforming outcomes for looked-after children. We are currently developing these proposals, including taking views from a range of stakeholders on the nature of the problem. We expect to publish the document for wide consultation within the next few months.

Modern Apprenticeships

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans her Department has to increase the number of women undertaking Modern Apprenticeships in 2006.

Phil Hope: Overall 40 per cent. of apprentices are female but we recognise there are gender imbalances in different occupations. We are working with the Equal Opportunities Commission, the LSC and sector bodies to promote and improve access to apprenticeships by improving information, broadening choice and exploring more flexible learning opportunities. This includes mailing non-traditional tasters for young people making choices at 14; and evaluating how well trials of apprenticeships for more mature workers tackled under-representation in shortage sectors.
	Alongside this work to tackle stereotyping at work and in training, we will consider over the coming months the recommendations of the Women and Work Commission published on 27 February 2006.

Modern Apprenticeships

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if her Department will assess the merits of extending the age limit to 24 years for modern apprenticeships.

Phil Hope: Government-supported apprenticeships are currently available to learners between the ages of 16 and 24. We are also currently trialling apprenticeships for more mature workers in engineering, construction, health and social care and IT. The final evaluation is being undertaken and will be ready by September 2006.

National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the expenditure of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth was in each year since 1999.

Jacqui Smith: The National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth was established in 2002; its annual expenditure is set out in the following table. The figures represent 100 per cent. expenditure against the Department's annual core grant to the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth, plus philanthropic and other income provided through private sponsorship. The 200506 figures are projected spend based on latest figures available.
	
		Annual expenditure for the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth -- 
		
			  200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 DfES Core Grant 1,500,000 3,000,000 4,750,000 4,750,000 
			 Philanthropic and other  income 374,391 419,554 808,256 1,220,000 
			 Total 1,874,391 3,419,554 5,558,256 5,970,000

National Parents Helpline

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what resources have been made available for (a) the National Parents' helpline and (b) the Parents' Centre web service; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: DfES currently funds five voluntary sector organisations to deliver a national helpline for parents. Parentline Plus is the first contact point, and can refer parents to four other helplines for specialist advice. In 200607, 2.6 million has been made available for the helplines through the Parenting Fund, an increase of 200,000 from 200506. This includes 1.95 million for Parentline Plus, 225,000 for Young Minds, 133,000 for the Children's Legal Centre, 121,000 for ACE and 165,000 for One Parent Families.
	In 200506 200,000 was made available for the Parents' Centre web service. Funding for 200607 has yet to be determined.

Ofsted

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the use of the contractual value added measure by Ofsted.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills and Ofsted have worked together to develop Contextual Value Added models, to give us better ways of assessing school effectiveness, in terms of the progress pupils make between National Curriculum Key Stages.
	Simple value added (VA) measures are based solely on pupils' outcomes relative to their prior attainment, the biggest single predictor of pupil results. A number of other factors outside a school's control, such as pupils' gender or their level of deprivation, have been observed to affect pupil results, even after allowing for prior attainment. Contextual Value Added (CVA) measures aim also to take into account other pupil and school factors which have a significant effect on pupils' progress. CVA measures, by adjusting for these intake differences, reflect more realistically the impact each school makes.
	Contextual Value Added information has been includedalongside other informationin Ofsted's Performance and Assessment (PANDA) reports since September 2005. The PANDA Reports inform school inspections, but data do not determine the judgements made by inspectors. The reports can also be used by schools to help their own self-evaluation.

Parental Engagement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the campaign to (a) develop further and (b) share schools' experience of parental engagement will be launched.

Jacqui Smith: The national campaign 'Engaging Parents to Raise Achievement' will be led by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, working in partnership with the Association of School and College Leaders (formerly the Secondary Heads Association). The campaign will stimulate school-parental engagement, enabling schools to generate and share innovative practice and effective strategies in parental engagement.
	As part of the campaign, a range of parenting organisations will also be involved in working with schools, including School-Home Support, Fathers Direct, Parentline Plus and Parenting UK.
	The campaign's inaugural event will be held in London on 26 April.

Parenting Orders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisations run the parenting programmes which parents subject to a parenting order must attend; and what the cost to public funds is of the programmes since they were introduced.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally by my Department and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Parenting programmes, and the costs associated with them, are matters for the local authority. I understand that, typically, these programmes may be delivered by local authority staff, youth offending teams and the voluntary sector and that costs vary according to circumstance and provider.

Parenting Orders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many court-imposed parenting orders for parents of excluded pupils have been (a) applied for and (b) issued in each local authority since they were introduced.

Jacqui Smith: The Department started to collect data regarding parenting orders in the case of exclusions from school from September 2004. Between 1 September 2004 and 31 July 2005 local authorities in England did not report any applications to the courts for parenting orders in the case of exclusions. However, 410 parenting contracts with parents of excluded pupils were reported as being agreed in the same period. Data for autumn 2005 will be published in March 2006.

Parliamentary Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last 12 months for answer by her on a named day (a) were transferred and (b) received a substantive answer (i) on the day named and (ii) after the day named;
	(2)  how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by her in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) between 28 days and two months and (d) in excess of two months after the date of tabling; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Department's Parliamentary Question Tracking System is unable to break the data down as requested. The answer could be supplied only at a disproportionate cost.
	Departments aim to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their Named Day question on the named day, and endeavour to answer Ordinary Written questions within a working week of being tabled.

Pension Liabilities

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate the net present value of accrued pension liabilities in respect of (a) present and (b) former employees of her Department and its predecessors.

Maria Eagle: The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme and individual departments' pension liabilities are not available. The Cabinet office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts for 200405 showed that the total pension liability at 31 March 2005 was 84.1 billion. The value of pension liabilities was assessed as follows:
	Liabilities for current members still contributing to the scheme37 billion;
	Deferred pensions and contingent pensions for dependants in respect of members no longer contributing12.7 billion;
	Current pensions for members and contingent pensions for dependants34.4 billion.
	As a result of a change in the discount rate used for calculating pension liabilities with effect from 1 April 2005, the total pension liability at 1 April 2005 increased by 10.6 billion to 94.7 billion.

Performance Targets

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) national learning targets and (b) public service agreement targets have been (i) revised downwards since their launch and (ii) achieved.

Bill Rammell: 11 National Learning Targets were launched in 1998, with a completion date of 2002. My Department's current suite of Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets were agreed as part of the 2004 and 2002 Spending Reviews. None of these targets were or have been revised downwards. Progress is published on an annual basis through the Departmental Report and Autumn Performance Report, copies of which are available in the House Library.

Personalised Learning (Barnet)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what allocation the London borough of Barnet has received for personalised learning from the dedicated schools grant since its introduction; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is being introduced from 200607. The data I placed in the Library to accompany my written statement of 7 December 2005 on the School Funding Settlement for 200607 and 200708, set out how much DSG each authority will receive for those years, including their allocation for personalised learning. That statement and more detailed information may be found on the Teachernet website at: www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/schoolfunding/200607 funding arrangements/.

Private Finance Initiative Contracts

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in each local authority area are involved in private finance initiative contracts.

Jacqui Smith: Set out in the following table is the breakdown by local authority area of primary and secondary schools involved in private finance initiative contracts. For clarity I have further separated out those schools that are now deemed as all through, namely covering both primary and secondary provision in the one establishment.
	
		Number
		
			 Local authority Primary Secondary All-through 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 2  
			 Barnsley 13 0  
			 Bedfordshire 0 2  
			 Birmingham 6 3  
			 Bolton 1 0  
			 Brent 0 1  
			 Brighton and Hove 0 4  
			 Bristol 0 4  
			 Calderdale 1 4  
			 Camden 0 1  
			 Cheshire 5 1  
			 Cornwall 38 6  
			 Coventry 0 1  
			 Croydon 0 1  
			 Darlington 2 1 1 
			 Derby 3 2  
			 Derbyshire 0 4  
			 Devon 1 0  
			 Doncaster 0 2  
			 Dorset 0 1  
			 Dudley 75 20 4 
			 Ealing 4 3  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4 2  
			 East Sussex 4 1  
			 Enfield 2 2  
			 Essex 12 4  
			 Gateshead 5 2  
			 Haringey 0 8  
			 Harrow 1 2  
			 Havering 0 1  
			 Herefordshire 0 1  
			 Hillingdon 0 1  
			 Kent 1 7  
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 1 0  
			 Kirklees 9 12 3 
			 Lambeth 0 16  
			 Lancashire 0 1  
			 Leeds 16 8  
			 Lewisham 71 11 1 
			 Lincolnshire 4 3  
			 Liverpool 13 7  
			 Manchester 1 1  
			 Merton 0 6  
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2 3  
			 Newham 33 2  
			 Norfolk 11 1  
			 North Tyneside 3 1  
			 Northamptonshire 37 11  
			 Nottinghamshire 1 6 1 
			 Portsmouth 0 1  
			 Redbridge 0 1  
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2 0  
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 6 0  
			 Rochdale 3 1  
			 Rotherham 12 6  
			 Salford 0 3  
			 Sandwell 5 0  
			 Sheffield 3 7 1 
			 South Tyneside 0 1  
			 Southampton 0 3  
			 Staffordshire 1 1  
			 Stockton-on-Tees 1 1  
			 Stoke-on-Trent 75 17 5 
			 Sunderland 0 1  
			 Swindon 4 3  
			 Tameside 2 1  
			 Telford and Wrekin 1 1 1 
			 Torbay 1 1  
			 Tower Hamlets 15 5 1 
			 Walsall 0 1  
			 Waltham Forest 7 2  
			 Warwickshire 139 36  
			 West Sussex 0 1  
			 Wiltshire 1 2  
			 Wirral 1 8  
			 Wolverhampton 0 22  
			 Worcestershire 0 41  
			 York 3 1

Post-Graduate Certificate in Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what guidance is issued by her Department on the interviewing of applicants for post-graduate certificate in education courses;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking (a) to monitor and (b) standardise interviews for admission to post-graduate certificate in education courses.

Jacqui Smith: The entry requirements for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) are contained in Qualifying to teach, the Secretary of State's Standards for the award of qualified teacher status and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training. These apply to all routes into teachingnot only PGCE. Comprehensive guidance on all of the ITT requirements, including those that relate to entry and interview requirements, are provided in the TDA's accompanying Handbook of Guidance. Requirement 1.8 states that:
	All providers must ensure that, as part of the selection procedures, candidates admitted for training have taken part in a group or individual interview.
	Guidance is provided on pages 70 and 71 of the Handbook and provides examples of the kinds of evidence that would be used in order to assess whether candidates have the full range of qualities needed to be a successful teacher. Guidance also notes the requirement for partnership schools to be involved in the selection process.
	The monitoring of selection and entry procedures is undertaken by Ofsted. Every Ofsted inspection of an accredited ITT provider will provide a judgement about the quality of the management and quality assurance of training provision Through interview and other mechanisms, all providers must make judgments of every applicant in accordance with the Requirements. These include judgments relating to:
	Capability of an applicant to meet the Standards
	GCSE or equivalent entry criteria
	Physical and mental fitness to teach
	Criminal background
	Communication skills
	Degree held (in the case of PGCE)
	However, providers may set their own entry requirements additional to those prescribed by the Secretary of State.

Primary Schools (Radstock)

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Government contributed to the establishment of Trinity Primary and St. Nicholas Primary schools in Radstock.

Jacqui Smith: The Radstock Primary Renaissance project which resulted in the opening of two new primary schools, Trinity Church of England Primary, and St. Nicholas Church of England Primary, was supported by 4.6 million of Targeted Capital Funding.

Pupil Funding (Barnet)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what spending changes there were in (a) cash and (b) percentage terms in funding per pupil in the London borough of Barnet (i) in total, (ii) for primary schools and (iii) for secondary schools in 199697 to 200607; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The data I placed in the Library to accompany my written statement of 7 December 2005 on the School Funding Settlement for 200607 and 200708, sets out each authority's Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) increases for those years. My statement and more detailed information may be found on the Teachernet website at: www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/schoolfunding/200607_funding_arrangements/
	The DSG is not broken down into funding per pupil for primary and secondary pupils: that is a matter for local authorities.
	Figures for 200809 to 201011 will not be available until after the next Spending Review, due to be announced during the summer 2007.

Pupil Health

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools devise strategies for pupils with (a) asthma and (b) other long-term conditions to help them to manage their conditions.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health guidance 'Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings' (2005) has been written to help schools and their employers to develop their local policies on managing medicines and supporting pupils with medical needs including those with long term conditions such as asthma. The guidance is, however, advisory only and it is for school and employers to develop their own policies in the light of local needs and resources.

Pupil Health

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what training teachers of physical education receive to ensure that they are qualified to work with children and young people with (a) asthma and (b) other long-term conditions.

Jacqui Smith: Most children with medical conditions can participate in physical activities and extra-curricular sport. Any restrictions on a child's ability to participate in physical education should be recorded in their individual health care plan including any precautionary measures before or during exercise and access to their medicines such as asthma inhalers. The advice given in the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health guidance 'Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings' (2005) recommends that all staff, particularly PE teachers, should have training or be provided with information about asthma once a year. It is for teachers employers to arrange appropriate training in collaboration with local health services.

Queen's Birthday

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans her Department has to celebrate Her Majesty's 80th birthday; what advice she has issued to her Department's executive agencies on celebrations for the birthday; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Department's buildings, in common with all other Government offices, will fly the Union Jack to mark the Queen's Birthday. No other formal celebrations are planned.

Racism

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many racist incidents among pupils were recorded in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) further education institutions in (i) England, (ii) the Tees Valley and (iii) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: Data on racist incidents are best collected, analysed and acted on at the local level. The Department does not therefore collect information on racist incidents at a national level. Schools are required to record all racist incidents and report them to their local authorities at least annually.
	The requirement to record and report all racist incidents in schools came into force in November 1999. Therefore there are no data available for the years 199799. Until 2004, Middlesbrough included data on racist incidents in schools in their consolidated racist incidents reporting scheme. On the basis of information provided by Middlesbrough, in 200405 there were 37 racist incidents in primary schools and 68 in secondary.
	Information in relation to racist incidents among students in further education institutions in England is unavailable as statistics are not routinely collated by the Department or by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the main funding body for further education, although individual colleges and some local LSCs may do so. On the basis of information supplied by the LSC, Tees Valley LLSC recorded two racist incidents in 200304, one in 200405, and nine in 200506.

Reading

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the sponsors of the Every Child a Reader project; and what the results of the project were.

Jacqui Smith: Every Child a Reader (ECAR) is a three-year programme which aims to help 5,000 five- and six-year-olds learn to read by placing specialist literacy teachers, trained in 'Reading Recovery', into schools to provide intensive one-to-one support to children most in need. The programme will also explore the potential for those teachers to support tailored literacy teaching more broadly within a school. ECAR is currently funded by the KPMG Foundation, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Indigo Trust, JJ Charitable Trust, and the SHINE Trust in partnership with the DfES. Further sponsors are being sought. The KPMG Foundation are also funding the appointment of an experienced educationalist to manage the programme, working with the Primary National Strategy and the Institute of Education.
	Every Child a Reader began in September 2005. It is too early to say what the overall results of the programme will be. ECAR has commissioned an evaluation study to compare the progress of 200 children in London schools supported in 200506 through the ECAR programme with the progress of 200 children in schools not involved. The study will also evaluate the impact of the ECAR programme on overall standards in the schools involved. The results of the evaluation study will be available in autumn 2006.

Religious Education

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the signatories to the joint statement of 22 February between faith leaders and the Department on teaching religious education; and whether this commitment will include the teaching of secular ethical perspectives contained in the National Framework.

Jacqui Smith: The signatories to the joint statement are:
	Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'ConnorArchbishop of Westminster
	The Rt Rev Dr. Kenneth StevensonBishop of Portsmouth, Chair of Church of England Board of Education
	Jon BenjaminChief Executive, Board of Deputies of British Jews
	MunishaNetwork of Buddhist Organisations
	Sarah LaneFree Churches Association
	Anil BhanotHindu Council of UK
	Kathleen WoodMethodist Church
	Sir Iqbal SacranieMuslim Council of Britain
	Dr. Indarjit Singh OBENetwork of Sikh Organisations
	The joint statement signed by senior members of the faith groups represented in England sets out the importance of inclusive religious education and pledges their support for the use of the Non-Statutory National Framework for Religious Education in their schools and colleges.
	Launched by the Department in October 2004, the Non-Statutory National Framework for Religious Education provides opportunities to develop pupils' knowledge and understanding of Christianity, other principal religions and religious traditions, and secular world views.

Religious Education

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether a decision has been made on whether to retract her Department's guidance in paragraph 104 of DfES circular 1/94 that humanists should not be appointed as members of Group A of Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education.

Jacqui Smith: The current policy regarding religious education and collective worship is set out in the Department for Education and Skills Circular 1/94. There are no current plans to revise this circular.

Safeguarding Children's Boards

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local safeguarding children's boards have been set up.

Maria Eagle: The most recent data come from DfES investigations in October 2005 to find out how local areas were putting in place the various reforms in the Government's Every Child Matters programme. 26 Local Safeguarding Children Boards had been established at that point while in a further 94 local areas, transition arrangements to move from Area Child Protection Committees to Local Safeguarding Children Boards by the deadline of 1 April 2006 had been agreed by the Local Authority. Based on these figures and informal contacts with local authorities we expect all English local authorities to have LSCBs in place by 1 April 2006.

School Attendance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether all local education authorities have arrangements in place for identifying children missing from education.

Maria Eagle: All local authorities now have a named individual responsible for receiving details of children found missing education, and for brokering support for them through the most appropriate agencies. From contacts with the named individuals, we know that while some local authorities and their partners have improved their wider arrangements to identify such children, progress is patchy. The Government have recently commissioned a research organisation to conduct an independent survey of all local authorities to assess in more detail their progress in this area. We expect to publish the results in the summer.
	The Government are concerned about any child missing education, as it is not just the child's educational attainment that is at risk, but also potentially his/her safety and welfare. That is why we signalled our intention, in the White Paper 'Higher Standards Better Schools for All', to introduce in the Education and Inspections Bill a new statutory duty on all local authorities to make arrangements to identify children missing education.

School Buildings

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the new school in Buckshaw village in Chorley will be built; and how many school places it will provide.

Jacqui Smith: The Department makes capital allocations directly to local authorities and schools. It is the responsibility of authorities to determine how they allocate funds to capital projects, including building new schools, taking into account of local needs and priorities set in their asset management plan. I am aware that local discussions will commence shortly to investigate the need for a new school in Chorley but have no plans to intervene in what is considered to be a local decision.
	For 200607, Lancashire county council and its schools have been allocated 51.2 million for capital projects.
	In addition to the capital allocation above, Lancashire is in wave 1 of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) in which 11 secondary schools (eight in Burnley and three in Pendle) will be replaced by five 1116 schools in Burnley and two 1116 schools in Pendle along with a 1619 centre in Burnley. The indicative funding for this wave is 166 million. The remainder of Lancashire's secondary school estate will be covered in five future BSF waves.
	Capital allocations to local authorities and schools are higher than ever before. In 200506 they are 5.5 billion and they are planned to increase to 6.3 billion in 200708, an increase from 683 million in 199697.

School Closures

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how parents may appeal against a decision to close a school taken by a school organisation committee.

Jacqui Smith: The procedures established by the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 for deciding changes to school organisation do not provide for appeals against decisions on statutory proposals taken by the local School Organisation Committee. Any SOC decision on statutory proposals must be unanimous. Where a SOC cannot reach a unanimous view proposals are decided by the independent Schools Adjudicator.

School Curriculum

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what legislative provision governs (a) the curriculum for and (b) the recruitment of teaching staff in religious education in (i) community schools, (ii) schools with a religious ethos and (iii) academies.

Jacqui Smith: Legislative provision for the curriculum in religious education in (i) community schools and (ii) maintained schools with a religious ethos is contained in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (Schedule 19). The requirements on (iii) academies with regard to religious education are held within their Funding Agreements with the Secretary of State.
	The relevant legislative provisions for the recruitment of staff in religious education in (i) community schools and (ii) maintained schools with a religious character are sections 54 and sections 5860 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 respectively. Academies are governed by general employment laws. However, as with maintained schools with a religious ethos, where an Academy is designated as having a religious character, teachers may be recruited on the basis of their religious views and practices.

School Curriculum

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what legal provisions govern (a) the content of and (b) the rights of pupils and teachers to request withdrawal from religious worship in (i) community schools, (ii) schools with a religious ethos and (iii) academies.

Jacqui Smith: The provisions covering the nature of Collective Worship are covered by Schedule 20 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
	Section 71 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 governs the rights of parents to request withdrawal of their children from religious worship in (i) community schools and (ii) maintained schools with a religious ethos. The rights of pupils to be withdrawn from religious worship in (iii) academies are held within the Academy's Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State, and are the same as in all maintained schools.
	The rights of teachers in (i) community schools are covered by section 59 of the same Act, and in (ii) maintained schools with a religious character by section 60 of the same Act. As independent schools, any rights which teachers may have to withdraw from religious worship in (iii) Academies will be contained in their employment contracts with the Academy.

School Finance

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools will receive extra targeted financial help in 200607 because they have the highest numbers of pupils who have fallen behind.

Jacqui Smith: Local authorities are responsible for distributing the grant locally to ensure that it will have maximum impact on the highest number of targeted pupils. The Department does not hold centrally a list of schools which are in receipt of this grant, though it does discuss with individual authorities how the grant is being used to narrow the achievement gap.

School Finance

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual funding per pupil has been in (a) Gateshead and (b) Sunderland constituencies in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is only available on the basis of local authority areas. The following table sets out the figures for each financial year from 199798 to 200506.
	
		Total funding per pupil aged three to 19 in Gateshead and Sunderland -- 
		
			  Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EPS and LSC 199798 to 200506 
			  Gateshead Sunderland 
		
		
			 199798 2,770 2,820 
			 199899 2,910 2,900 
			 19992000 3,050 3,030 
			 200001 3,340 3,310 
			 200102 3,550 3,520 
			 200203 3,660 3,610 
			 200304 3,860 3,810 
			 200405 3,990 3,950 
			 200506 4,160 4,150 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price base: Real terms at 200405 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 23 December 2005.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged three to 19 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4. The pupil numbers used to convert  million figures to  per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Status:
	200506 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

School Finance

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual funding per pupil has been in (a) Bath and North East Somerset and (b) South Gloucestershire in each year since 1992.

Jacqui Smith: As a result of data changes and changes to the school funding system, comparable figures are not available for 199297. The table sets out the figures in real terms for each financial year from 199798 to 200506. Total funding includes funding via Education Formula Spending/Standard Spending Assessment and revenue grants allocated at an LEA level.
	In 200304 an additional 640 million was transferred into Education Formula Spending in respect of teachers pensions. This transfer has been excluded from the figures provided so they are on a comparable basis for years before and after the transfer.
	
		Funding per pupil aged three to 19 in Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire -- 
		
			  Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EPS and LSC 199798 to 200506 
			  Bath and North East Somerset South Gloucestershire 
		
		
			 199798 2,680 2,610 
			 199899 2,750 2,680 
			 19992000 2,890 2,810 
			 200001 3,100 2,990 
			 200102 3,200 3,090 
			 200203 3,300 3,210 
			 200304 3,410 3,340 
			 200405 3,570 3,480 
			 200506 3,760 3,660 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price base: Real terms at 200405 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 23 December 2005.
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three to 19 and exclude Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4. The pupil numbers used to convert  million figures to  per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	5. Rounding: figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Status:
	200506 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

School Food

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in South Swindon have received grants for improving school food; and how much each received.

Jacqui Smith: Every maintained primary, secondary nursery, special school and pupil referral unit in Swindon local authority received a school meals grant in October 2005. Schools were each awarded a lump sum of 1,070 per primary school and 1,500 per secondary school, with an additional amount per pupil. The per pupil amount for PRUs and all schools except nursery schools is 50p; for nursery schools it is 50p for half of FTE pupils, to reflect the fact that fewer pupils in nursery schools take school meals.
	The funding distributed in October 2005 was the first of three years of transitional funding which we have encouraged schools to put towards making sustainable improvements in school food and drink. The allocation formula to schools will remain the same for all three years of the grant.

School Food

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local authorities have received a targeted school meals grant; and how much each received.

Jacqui Smith: The following table shows the amount of targeted school meals grant each local authority received in 200506.
	
		Targeted school meals grant (grant 5a): allocations for 200506
		
			 LEA number LEA name Amount () 
		
		
			 886 Kent 804,386 
			 881 Essex 754,864 
			 330 Birmingham 724,332 
			 888 Lancashire 665,975 
			 850 Hampshire 651,103 
			 919 Hertfordshire 642,216 
			 936 Surrey 518,415 
			 860 Staffordshire 480,953 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 447,126 
			 830 Derbyshire 432,640 
			 926 Norfolk 429,453 
			 383 Leeds 425,711 
			 938 West Sussex 391,127 
			 875 Cheshire 390,248 
			 928 Northamptonshire 386,858 
			 925 Lincolnshire 382,063 
			 935 Suffolk 376,753 
			 878 Devon 367,209 
			 855 Leicestershire 360,760 
			 380 Bradford 337,217 
			 815 North Yorkshire 325,903 
			 916 Gloucestershire 325,093 
			 931 Oxfordshire 315,889 
			 885 Worcestershire 301,867 
			 341 Liverpool 297,458 
			 840 Durham 292,666 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 292,284 
			 373 Sheffield 290,621 
			 909 Cumbria 288,980 
			 937 Warwickshire 288,771 
			 352 Manchester 283,945 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 278,018 
			 908 Cornwall 276,424 
			 933 Somerset 268,273 
			 845 East Sussex 250,350 
			 865 Wiltshire 244,782 
			 382 Kirklees 242,076 
			 820 Bedfordshire 238,715 
			 344 Wirral 208,207 
			 835 Dorset 207,955 
			 316 Newham 202,293 
			 308 Enfield 195,222 
			 384 Wakefield 195,065 
			 333 Sandwell 194,441 
			 306 Croydon 192,611 
			 371 Doncaster 190,601 
			 332 Dudley 190,352 
			 331 Coventry 189,557 
			 929 Northumberland 187,826 
			 801 Bristol, City of 186,752 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 186,097 
			 359 Wigan 185,904 
			 856 Leicester 185,445 
			 335 Walsall 184,302 
			 305 Bromley 178,686 
			 302 Barnet 176,529 
			 350 Bolton 175,494 
			 394 Sunderland 174,108 
			 343 Sefton 172,896 
			 372 Rotherham 172,581 
			 317 Redbridge 169,378 
			 887 Medway 166,499 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 166,176 
			 307 Ealing 163,466 
			 353 Oldham 159,353 
			 312 Hillingdon 159,300 
			 304 Brent 157,510 
			 336 Wolverhampton 156,714 
			 356 Stockport 154,860 
			 810 Kingston upon Hull, City of 154,593 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 152,581 
			 879 Plymouth 151,631 
			 893 Shropshire 151,444 
			 892 Nottingham 151,089 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 149,428 
			 203 Greenwich 147,940 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 147,406 
			 303 Bexley 147,175 
			 831 Derby 145,913 
			 210 Southwark 142,495 
			 320 Waltham Forest 140,767 
			 357 Tameside 140,541 
			 313 Hounslow 138,419 
			 354 Rochdale 138,147 
			 309 Haringey 137,994 
			 311 Havering 137,733 
			 826 Milton Keynes 137,391 
			 209 Lewisham 136,673 
			 334 Solihull 135,310 
			 355 Salford 135,285 
			 358 Trafford 134,231 
			 381 Calderdale 132,417 
			 370 Barnsley 132,279 
			 821 Luton 123,758 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 122,001 
			 877 Warrington 119,601 
			 208 Lambeth 117,924 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 116,828 
			 319 Sutton 116,724 
			 392 North Tyneside 115,127 
			 212 Wandsworth 114,544 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 114,421 
			 852 Southampton 112,477 
			 874 Peterborough 111,870 
			 390 Gateshead 111,291 
			 310 Harrow 110,602 
			 342 St. Helens 109,063 
			 204 Hackney 108,480 
			 866 Swindon 108,435 
			 351 Bury 107,145 
			 802 North Somerset 106,065 
			 340 Knowsley 105,857 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 104,203 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 102,294 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 101,088 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 99,353 
			 206 Islington 97,928 
			 851 Portsmouth 96,474 
			 393 South Tyneside 94,890 
			 813 North Lincolnshire Bath  and North East 94,513 
			 800 Somerset 94,125 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 92,543 
			 202 Camden 91,294 
			 869 West Berkshire 91,003 
			 816 York 90,367 
			 884 Herefordshire 89,689 
			 883 Thurrock 87,070 
			 315 Merton 86,973 
			 872 Wokingham 85,484 
			 890 Blackpool 84,081 
			 213 Westminster 82,198 
			 806 Middlesborough 80,530 
			 837 Bournemouth 79,126 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 78,389 
			 871 Slough 77,825 
			 921 Isle of Wight 76,275 
			 880 Torbay 75,145 
			 876 Halton 74,955 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 74,387 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 73,202 
			 836 Poole 71,492 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 70,246 
			 870 Reading 62,891 
			 805 Hartlepool 61,534 
			 841 Darlington 59,614 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 55,105 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 45,540 
			 857 Rutland 17,911 
			 201 City of London 909 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 891

School Management Costs

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been undertaken to compare management costs imposed by local authorities for the administration of her policies in schools.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect information on management costs within local authorities. However the available information for the costs relating to central administration within local education authorities is given in the following table:
	
		Local authority central administration(71) ranked as a percentage of total education spending for financial year 200405(72)
		
			 Local authority name Central administration net current expenditure(71) () Total education spending net current expenditure () Expenditure on central administration as a percentage of total education spending Ranking (from highest to lowest percentage of total education spending spent on central administration)(73) 
		
		
			 England 560,717,875 33,294,983,910 1.7  
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,497,542 146,987,102 2.4 29 
			 Barnet 4,464,101 215,184,171 2.1 43 
			 Barnsley 3,168,952 145,977,337 2.2 40 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 2,453,151 107,302,299 2.3 33 
			 Bedfordshire 1,782,204 259,303,729 0.7 143 
			 Bexley 2,156,000 169,639,723 1.3 112 
			 Birmingham 12,242,677 827,443,320 1.5 91 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2,998,785 113,431,229 2.6 23 
			 Blackpool 2,015,189 94,129,430 2.1 42 
			 Bolton 2,348,475 189,606,156 1.2 114 
			 Bournemouth 1,458,023 86,343,883 1.7 69 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,123,695 63,934,846 1.8 63 
			 Bradford 7,495,685 364,979,401 2.1 44 
			 Brent 1,614,518 201,768,885 0.8 139 
			 Brighton and Hove 1,946,398 133,431,395 1.5 92 
			 Bristol City of 3,138,681 215,485,577 1.5 93 
			 Bromley 2,621,689 193,177,205 1.4 101 
			 Buckinghamshire 7,047,408 328,998,756 2.1 41 
			 Bury 2,177,794 114,724,055 1.9 53 
			 Calderdale 6,296,915 143,064,537 4.4 6 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,679,636 313,234,223 1.8 55 
			 Camden 2,796,887 149,509,453 1.9 54 
			 Cheshire 8,252,556 425,738,378 1.9 49 
			 City of London3 443,317 3,738,630 11.9 2 
			 Cornwall 6,618,857 329,344,344 2.0 47 
			 Coventry 4,019,215 226,178,609 1.8 57 
			 Croydon 3,019,147 219,330,095 1.4 99 
			 Cumbria 3,405,557 326,735,872 1.0 129 
			 Darlington 964,904 62,390,712 1.5 84 
			 Derby 2,656,381 167,223,447 1.6 80 
			 Derbyshire 5,985,352 452,578,115 1.3 105 
			 Devon 7,040,185 397,563,956 1.8 59 
			 Doncaster 4,134,337 210,880,206 2.0 48 
			 Dorset 4,577,470 259,196,526 1.8 61 
			 Dudley 2,114,206 209,764,332 1.0 130 
			 Durham 2,878,503 333,872,414 0.9 137 
			 Baling 7,158,210 205,460,411 3.5 11 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 3,209,491 200,641,767 1.6 77 
			 East Sussex 360,454 292,834,817 0.1 149 
			 Enfield 7,412,973 232,615,982 3.2 13 
			 Essex 7,781,602 823,194,132 0.9 132 
			 Gateshead 2,282,803 142,891,356 1.6 78 
			 Gloucestershire 10,274,226 349,348,344 2.9 18 
			 Greenwich 2,354,736 196,190,810 1.2 118 
			 Hackney 7,560,565 162,540,025 4.7 4 
			 Halton 2,390,688 94,534,011 2.5 27 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,006,018 108,453,087 0.9 135 
			 Hampshire 9,438,351 701,265,696 1.3 102 
			 Haringey 86,648 191,150,232 0.0 150 
			 Harrow 1,217,836 131,788,047 0.9 136 
			 Hartlepool 1,042,329 67,345,674 1.5 83 
			 Havering 2,171,455 156,707,131 1.4 98 
			 Herefordshire 1,605,444 98,210,636 1.6 74 
			 Hertfordshire 8,436,383 705,922,748 1.2 119 
			 Hillingdon 1,119,568 174,770,694 0.6 145 
			 Hounslow 2,712,353 178,232,426 1.5 86 
			 Isle of Wight 1,142,813 85,688,761 1.3 103 
			 Isles Of Scilly(73) 318,968 2,616,422 12.2 1 
			 Islington 3,605,848 139,303,314 2.6 24 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 543,575 76,787,906 0.7 142 
			 Kent 13,269,655 883,993,201 1.5 90 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 1,886,598 174,249,299 1.1 128 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,070,327 94,508,690 2.2 39 
			 Kirklees 4,319,800 271,230,900 1.6 79 
			 Knowsiey 2,191,849 115,210,777 1.9 52 
			 Lambeth 2,945,995 170,296,754 1.7 66 
			 Lancashire 8,705,686 750,413,163 1.2 125 
			 Leeds 7,461,684 471,975,682 1.6 81 
			 Leicester 1,653,204 224,476,605 0.7 140 
			 Leicestershire 8,559,226 382,563,665 2.2 35 
			 Lewisham 6,631,767 217,244,019 3.1 16 
			 Lincolnshire 2,989,499 409,202,380 0.7 141 
			 Liverpool 4,556,882 377,773,839 1.2 116 
			 Luton 5,092,606 159,468,662 3.2 12 
			 Manchester 4,498,752 352,987,395 1.3 111 
			 Medway 1,314,100 194,123,827 0.7 144 
			 Merton 4,709,240 114,827,621 4.1 9 
			 Middlesbrough 1,597,571 96,117,215 1.7 71 
			 Milton Keynes 2,377,313 156,290,552 1.5 87 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,380,758 185,149,569 1.3 110 
			 Newham 6,530,090 255,966,840 2.6 25 
			 Norfolk 2,742,939 525,932,056 0.5 147 
			 North East Lincolnshire 664,094 106,822,003 0.6 146 
			 North Lincolnshire 3,404,461 116,717,049 2.9 19 
			 North Somerset 1,950,008 110,933,655 1.8 62 
			 North Tyneside 1,983,717 129,404,451 1.5 85 
			 North Yorkshire 3,519,057 430,511,106 0.8 138 
			 Northamptonshire 5,424,737 407,685,446 1.3 104 
			 Northumberland 3,641,178 214,026,328 1.7 68 
			 Nottingham 5,906,500 193,985,849 3.0 17 
			 Nottinghamshire 9,253,125 478,640,705 1.9 50 
			 Oldham 3,942,875 175,530,418 2.2 34 
			 Oxfordshire 8,595,327 371,668,138 2.3 31 
			 Peterborough 3,779,251 131,315,548 2.9 20 
			 Plymouth 2,254,481 172,224,273 1.3 107 
			 Poole 1,246,424 75,052,828 1.7 72 
			 Portsmouth 2,649,173 112,883,835 2.3 30 
			 Reading 1,533,633 79,614,901 1.9 51 
			 Redbridge 3,347,260 192,758,669 1.7 64 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1,258,171 106,243,919 1.2 120 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,058,757 89,828,673 1.2 121 
			 Rochdale 2,306,392 161,259,275 1.4 95 
			 Rotherham 4,963,478 194,970,893 2.5 26 
			 Rutland 339,339 21,789,629 1.6 82 
			 Salford 1,764,882 150,772,105 1.2 123 
			 Sandwell 3,365,941 224,061,787 1.5 89 
			 Sefton 1,752,511 187,921,687 0.9 134 
			 Sheffield 3,696,312 315,711,249 1.2 122 
			 Shropshire 1,504,578 159,457,245 0.9 133 
			 Slough 3,852,051 96,615,407 4.0 10 
			 Solihull 2,991,651 136,104,069 2.2 38 
			 Somerset 1,514,284 296,133,182 0.5 148 
			 South Gloucestershire 1,977,000 157,865,932 1.3 113 
			 South Tyneside 4,862,665 112,458,717 4.3 7 
			 Southampton 3,794,644 135,139,091 2.8 21 
			 Southend-on-Sea 1,490,830 113,682,074 1.3 106 
			 Southwark 10,014,592 214,187,125 4.7 3 
			 St. Helens 1,516,417 125,097,884 1.2 115 
			 Staffordshire 4,976,204 495,767,539 1.0 131 
			 Stockport 1,962,724 162,725,099 1.2 117 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2,103,677 129,025,009 1.6 75 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 4,375,558 162,114,222 2.7 22 
			 Suffolk 8,300,029 408,695,482 2.0 45 
			 Sunderland 4,779,723 208,285,729 2.3 32 
			 Surrey 10,026,368 578,937,725 1.7 65 
			 Sutton 2,300,816 134,313,691 1.7 67 
			 Swindon 2,294,823 113,428,106 2.0 46 
			 Tameside 2,019,000 141,256,788 1.4 96 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1,551,105 111,815,102 1.4 97 
			 Thurrock 1,928,610 108,143,264 1.8 56 
			 Torbay 1,986,909 81,915,361 2.4 28 
			 Tower Hamlets 11,026,422 245,405,314 4.5 5 
			 Trafford 1,899,459 125,761,395 1.5 88 
			 Wakefield 2,420,042 207,747,175 1.2 124 
			 Walsall 8,041,846 189,164,612 4.3 8 
			 Waltham Forest 5,177,572 169,066,651 3.1 15 
			 Wandsworth 2,098,459 153,533,914 1.4 100 
			 Warrington 1,990,209 119,313,453 1.7 70 
			 Warwickshire 7,295,198 327,872,209 2.2 36 
			 West Berkshire 1,159,670 104,108,587 1.1 126 
			 West Sussex 6,153,319 427,553,729 1.4 94 
			 Westminster 1,642,638 125,928,235 1.3 108 
			 Wigan 3,555,475 200,777,355 1.8 58 
			 Wiltshire 2,867,529 262,171,741 1.1 127 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,487,289 84,086,977 1.8 60 
			 Wirral 3,674,634 223,796,278 1.6 73 
			 Wokingham 1,197,186 92,994,847 1.3 109 
			 Wolverhampton 2,895,380 180,125,791 1.6 76 
			 Worcestershire 6,950,942 315,747,798 2.2 37 
			 York 3,105,994 99,640,100 3.1 14 
		
	
	(71) Central administration covers the overall management of the local authority's responsibility in relation to education.
	(72) 200405 figures in cash terms as reported by local authorities as at 23 February 2006.
	(73) Due to having only one school, Isles of Scilly LA and City of London LA will have a different expenditure pattern than other authorities which will include some fixed central administration costs which are unavoidable regardless of the size of the local authority. Consequently the expenditure on central administration as a percentage of total education spending by City of London and Isles of Scilly LA's should not be compared with other authorities.

School Sport Facilities

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding her Department has made available for improvements to school sports facilities in (a) West Lancashire and (b) Lancashire in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: Significant funding is being provided specifically to enhance PE and school sport facilities between 2001 and 2009. In total, 686 million of lottery funding is providing a step change in school sport facilities through the Space for Sport and Arts and Big Lottery's New Opportunities for PE and Sport programmes.
	Local authorities and schools may supplement this with the formula capital funding that we provide to them. However, it is the responsibility of the schools and local authorities to determine how they allocate these funds to different projects, including enhancing school sports facilities, taking account of local needs and priorities.
	Records are not held centrally that show how much of this funding is spent on school sports facilities, neither am I able to provide a breakdown for West Lancashire and Lancashire.

School Staff (Checks/Disputes)

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the restrictions which apply to employment in schools of people convicted or cautioned for sex offences apply to employment in education units in (a) secure training centres and (b) young offender institutions.

Ruth Kelly: Anyone who is barred and included on List 99 on grounds of being unsuitable to work with children, including those barred automatically because of a conviction for a sexual offence against a child, and those included permanently on the Protection of Children Act List, is disqualified from working with children under section 35 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. It is an offence under that Act for a disqualified person to apply for, offer to do, accept, or do any work with children in a wide range of settings including secure training centres and young offender institutions.

School Staff (Checks/Disputes)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the implications for independent investigations into allegations of cheating of resolutions between teachers and schools, in lieu of employment tribunal decisions, which include confidentiality agreements.

Jacqui Smith: The responsibility for undertaking investigations into allegations of cheating in public examinations lies with the awarding bodies.
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA),as regulator of the awarding bodies, requires awarding bodies to investigate any instances of alleged malpractice and take such action as is necessary to maintain the integrity of the examination.

Schools Funding

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received from churches on proposed changes to the way capital funding is channelled to schools; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: When considering options for changes to the way in which we pay capital grant to voluntary aided schools, we established a transition group which included representatives from local authorities, the churches and the voluntary aided sector generally. We have acted on the recommendations of that group in taking our current proposals forward. The churches have been fully supportive of the changes.

Schools White Paper

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the role of local education authorities under the provisions of the Schools White Paper.

Jacqui Smith: The White Paper sets out an enhanced role for local authorities as commissioner rather than provider of services, and as champion of pupils and parents, responding appropriately to their needs. Local authorities will take a leadership role in relation to school organisation decisions and will have a duty to promote diversity, choice and the fulfilment by every child of their educational potential.

Science GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2006 to Question 53160, on science GCSEs, what proportion of the timetable (a) biology, (b) chemistry and (c) physics are expected to take up when taught as separate subjects rather than as part of the double award science GCSE.

Jacqui Smith: Guidance from examining boards suggests around 10 per cent. of the timetable should be spent on studies leading to a single GCSE subject.

Sector Skills Councils

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Sector Skills Councils are (a) fully compliant, (b) in the process of being compliant and (c) not compliant with their licence obligations as to the proportion of private sector funding they receive; and if she will make a statement on action she is taking to achieve such compliance.

Phil Hope: The Sector Skills Council (SSC) license does not contain any specific obligations or requirements around the level of employer sourced funding for SSCs. Consequently, there are no network level explicit targets for employer financial contributions for SSCs to be assessed against.
	It should be stressed however that SSCs are encouraged to source funding from employers and other sources where appropriate, recognising that SSCs have been set up to be the voice of employers. The current level of Government sponsor funding for the network is a contribution to the core cost of an effective SSC so alternative funding sources need to be developed. In this context, the SSDA aims to facilitate employer income contributions where appropriate and there is the long term expectation that SSCs, as employer led organisations, will seek to develop additional funding sources.

Setting

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many maintained schools (a) set and (b) group pupils in (i) English, (ii) mathematics, (iii) science, (iv) design and technology, (v) history and (vi) modern languages; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Ofsted through their school inspections in 2002/03 noted that in secondary schools: 51 per cent. of English; 86 per cent. of mathematics; 70 per cent. of science; 29 per cent. of history and 62 per cent. of modern foreign languages lessons were set by ability.

Sex Education

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2006, Official Report, column 2210W, on sex and relationships education, if she will take steps to make the teacher's certificate in personal social and health education compulsory for all teachers expected to teach sex and relationships education.

Jacqui Smith: We are encouraging all teachers of sex and relationship education to undertake the teachers' certificate in Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) and almost 5,000 teachers have undertaken the certificate since 2002. We have no plans to make the PSHE certificate a compulsory requirement for teachers of sex and relationship education.

Sign Language (Financial Support)

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what financial support is available for parents of deaf children to be taught sign language.

Maria Eagle: The Department supports parents who wish to learn sign language through a public subsidy of sign language courses delivered through further education colleges. In 2004/05 the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the body that plans and funds post-16 education and training in England, supported 21,491 learners on sign language courses, at a cost of more than 6.7 million. Although we can not specifically identify parents of deaf children separately among these learners we know the majority of them (90 per cent.) were not people with a learning difficulty and/or disability. Therefore, the vast majority of learners on sign language courses do not have a hearing impairment but are undertaking the course for a variety of other reasons which will commonly include being a parent or other relative of a hearing impaired person. We do not currently have comparable data available for 2005/06.
	Throughout the prioritisation of funding for 2006/07 we have been clear that provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities remains a priority and that the LSC has been explicit in its strategic planning guidance to ensure funding for non basic or level 2 employability skills, which accounts for the majority of adult funding available, should be prioritised for courses for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, as well as programmes for those that work with this group which include courses such as lip-reading, sign language and Braille.
	There are also measures in place to ensure that learners with low incomes who are in receipt of means tested benefits will receive free tuition on publicly funded courses. For adult learners facing barriers to learning, Learner Support Funds (LSF) provides additional financial support to people undertaking learning.
	Where learners are not receiving a means tested benefit the provider may waive fees at their discretion and may make use of LSF in order to provide support. In 2004/05 we know that around half of learners undertaking sign language courses paid no fees either as a result of being on means tested benefits or due to the discretion of the provider.

Special Advisers (IT Allowances)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether special advisers in her Department receive an IT allowance.

Maria Eagle: Special advisers do not receive any IT allowances.

Special Educational Needs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list specialist schools which have a special educational needs specialism.

Jacqui Smith: 12 special schools have been designated in the special educational needs (SEN) specialism, specialising in one of the four areas of the SEN code of practice. The schools are:
	Ash Field School and Micro Technology Assessment Centre, Leicester
	Clifford Holroyde Centre of Expertise, Liverpool
	Cuckmere House School, East Sussex
	Firwood School, Bolton
	Holly House School, Derbyshire
	Marjory Kinnon School, Hounslow
	Mary Hare School, Newbury
	New Rush Hall School, Redbridge
	Penn Hall School, Wolverhampton
	RNIB New College, Worcester
	The West of England School and College for Children with Little or No Sight, Exeter
	West Gate School (formerly Emily Fortey School), Leicester
	Additionally, there are 33 special schools designated with a curriculum specialism.

Special Educational Needs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of Peterborough local education authority's total budget was spent on special needs education in each of the last seven years.

Jacqui Smith: The available information is contained within the following table. Similar data are not available before 200001:
	
		Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with special educational needs(74)(5508890075) by Peterborough local authority since 200001
		
			  Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with special educational needs () Total Education Revenue Expenditure(76)() Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with SEN as a percentage of total education revenue expenditure 
		
		
			 200001 12,325,000 82,092,000 15.0 
			 200102 13,410,000 88,259,000 15.2 
			 200203 14,787,000 94,086,000 15.7 
			 200304 16,936,000 103,083,000 16.4 
			 200405 18,620,000 109,591,000 17.0 
			 200506(77) 20,337,000 121,620,000 16.7 
		
	
	(74) Includes planned expenditure on the provision for pupils with statements and the provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN, support for inclusion, inter authority recoupment, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, educational psychology service, local authority functions in relation to child protection, therapies and other health related services, parent partnership, guidance and information, the monitoring of SEN provision and inclusion administration, assessment and co-ordination. Also included is the funding delegated to nursery, primary and secondary schools identified as notional SEN and the individual schools budget (ISB) for special schools.
	(75) The ISB for special schools will include some general education costs for pupils with SEN in addition to those costs specifically for SEN while the figures recorded against notional SEN are only indicative of the amount that might be spent by schools on SEN and, from 200405 onwards, notional SEN delegated to nursery schools was reported on Section 52 for the first time and this accounts for 18,000 of the 200506 total. In 200506, Peterborough also budgeted 1.7 million for SEN transport expenditure but this is not included in the budgeted net expenditure on SEN as figures are not available prior to 200506.
	(76) Total Education Revenue Expenditure is the combination of the total schools budget and the total LEA budget.
	(77) Cash terms figures as reported by Peterborough local authority as at 27 February 2006.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds and may not sum due to rounding.
	The data are drawn from Peterborough local authority's Section 52 Budget Statements (Tables 1 and 2) submitted to the DfES.

Specialist Schools

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the high performing specialist schools which have taken on additional functions since the publication of the White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools for All.

Jacqui Smith: 91 high performing specialist schools, tabled as follows, have taken on one or more of the four leading options offered at redesignation in the autumn of 2005. A further 66 schools are currently under consideration and will be informed shortly.
	
		
			 School name LA Main specialism Leading option Further leading option 
		
		
			 Cirencester Deer Park School Gloucestershire Technology Arts  
			 Greenwood Dale School Nottingham Technology Arts  
			 Henbury High School Cheshire Technology Arts  
			 Shireland Language College Sandwell Language Arts  
			 The Ecclesbourne School Derbyshire Technology Arts  
			 Uplands Community East Sussex Technology Arts  
			   
			 King James's School North Yorkshire Technology BE  
			 Archbishop Temple CofE High School Lancashire Technology Humanities  
			 Central Foundation Girls' School Tower Hamlets Arts Humanities  
			 Hazelwick School West Sussex Technology Humanities  
			 King Solomon High School Redbridge Technology Humanities  
			 Lord Grey School Milton Keynes Language Humanities  
			 Notre Dame Catholic High School Sheffield Technology Humanities  
			 Queen Elizabeth's Community College Devon Technology Humanities  
			 St. Martin's School Essex Technology Humanities  
			 Stowmarket High School Suffolk Technology Humanities  
			 The Cardinal Wiseman R C School Ealing Technology Humanities  
			 The Piggott School Wokingham Language Humanities  
			 Turves Green Boys' College Birmingham Technology Humanities  
			  
			 Beths Grammar School Bexley Technology Language  
			 Comberton Village College Cambridgeshire Sports Language  
			 Dr. Challoner's High School Buckinghamshire Sports Language  
			 Lancaster Girls' Grammar School Lancashire Technology Language  
			 St. John's School  Community College Wiltshire Technology Language  
			  
			 Claremont High School Brent Arts MC  
			 Stantonbury Campus Milton Keynes Arts MC  
			 The Skegness Grammar School Lincolnshire Sports MC  
			 The St Marylebone CofE School Westminster Arts MC  
			 Wood Green High School College Sandwell Sports MC  
			  
			 Alcester High School College Warwickshire Technology Music  
			 Charles Edward Brooke School Lambeth Arts Music  
			 Hockerill Anglo-European College Hertfordshire Language Music  
			 Plantsbrooke School Birmingham Technology Music  
			 Varndean School Brighton  Hove Technology Music  
			  
			 Bridgewater High School Warrington Arts Science  
			 Connaught School for Girls Waltham Forest Language Science  
			 Pate's Grammar School Gloucestershire Language Science  
			 Robert Pattinson School Lincolnshire Language Science  
			 Sir Jonathan North Community College Leicester Arts Science  
			 Stoke Newington School Hackney Arts Science  
			 The Henry Box School Oxfordshire Language Science  
			  
			 John Hampden Grammar School Buckinghamshire Technology Sports  
			 Kings Norton Girls' School Birmingham Language Sports  
			 Ossett School Wakefield Technology Sports  
			 St. Augustine's Catholic College Wiltshire Technology Sports  
			 The Eastwood School (1118) Southend-on-Sea Arts Sports  
			 The Weald School West Sussex Technology Sports  
			  
			 Harrogate Grammar School North Yorkshire Language Technology  
			  
			 Beverley High School E Riding of Yorkshire Technology Leading Edge  
			 Southend High School for Boys Southend-on-Sea Languages Leading Edge  
			 Thomas Tallis School Greenwich Arts Leading Edge  
			  
			 Wildern School Hampshire Arts Raising Achievement Transforming Learning (SSAT)  
			  
			 Ashington Community High School Northumberland Sports Schl Leadership (YST)  
			  
			 Aylesbury High School Buckinghamshire Languages Training School  
			 Balcarras School Gloucestershire Technology Training School  
			 Chesterton Community College Cambridgeshire Technology Training School  
			 Grange Technology College Bradford Technology Training School  
			 Greenford High School Ealing Languages Training School  
			 Holmesdale Technology College Kent Technology Training School  
			 Langdon School Newham Sports Training School  
			 Lytchett Minster School Dorset Arts Training School  
			 Monks' Dyke Technology College Lincolnshire Technology Training School  
			 Seven Kings High School Redbridge Technology Training School Languages 
			 St. Angela's Ursuline Convent School Newham Technology Training School Languages 
			 St. Peter's CofE High School Stoke-on-Trent Languages Training School  
			 The Netherhall School Cambridgeshire Sports Training School  
			 The Thomas Aveling School Medway Technology Training School  
			 Valentines High School Redbridge Technology Training School  
			  
			 Ashfield Comprehensive School Nottinghamshire Technology Vocational Languages 
			 Carmel R C Technology College Darlington Technology Vocational  
			 Lees Brook Community Sports College Derby Sports Vocational Languages 
			 Aldercar Community Languages College Derbyshire Languages Vocational  
			 Ashdown School Poole Technology Vocational  
			 Ashton-on-Mersey School Trafford Sports Vocational  
			 Ercall Wood Technology College Telford  Wrekin Technology Vocational  
			 Greensward College Essex Technology Vocational  
			 Haybridge High School and Sixth Form Worcestershire Technology Vocational  
			 Hillview School for Girls Kent Arts Vocational  
			 Kirk Hallam Community College Derbyshire Technology Vocational  
			 Leiston Community High School Suffolk Technology Vocational  
			 Middleton Technology School Rochdale Technology Vocational  
			 Notley High School Essex Technology Vocational  
			 Penryn College Cornwall Sports Vocational  
			 Ringmer Community College East Sussex Technology Vocational  
			 St. Paul's Way Community School Tower Hamlets Arts Vocational  
			 Swanwick Hall School Derbyshire Technology Vocational  
			 The Benjamin Britten High School Suffolk Technology Vocational  
			 The Gleed Girls Technology College Lincolnshire Technology Vocational  
			 The Hayesbrook School Kent Sports Vocational  
			 The Warwick School Surrey Technology Vocational  
			 Tile Hill Wood School Coventry Languages Vocational  
			 Total number of schools91

St James Independent School for Senior Boys

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2006, Official Report, column 1941W, what the nature is of the investigations of the St. James Independent school for senior boys to which she refers; what the evidential basis was for the assertion that such investigations were taking place; and what steps she has taken in response to the letter to her from the headteacher of St. James dated 24 February.

Maria Eagle: A historic allegation of abuse was received from a man in his 40s that related to his time as a school pupil in London. Following a thorough joint investigation by the police, social services, the NSPCC and Education Welfare that involved St. James Independent school for senior boys, no further action is being taken by the Metropolitan police. My response to the headteacher of St. James contains this information.

Sure Start

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list visits by Ministers in her Department to Sure Start schemes and facilities in England in the 12 months to 5 May 2005; in which parliamentary constituency each facility is; what the cost of each visit was; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the Sure Start schemes and facilities visited by each Minister in the 12 months to 5 May 2005. Records of the cost of each visit are not held in the format required and to provide this information would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Date Scheme/Facility Constituency 
		
		
			 Charles Clarke   
			 25 May 2004 Redcliffe Early Years Centre Bristol East 
			 9 November 2004 Shipley Sure Start Local Programme Shipley 
			
			 Ruth Kelly   
			 18 March 2005 North Wingfield Sure Start Centre Wingfield 
			
			 Ivan Lewis   
			 16 July 2004 Rosehill Nursery Bolton South East 
			 29 November 2004 Ladybridge Pre-school Bolton West 
			
			 Margaret Hodge   
			 13 May 2004 Redcar Coast and Dormanstown Sure Start Centre Redcar and Cleveland 
			 26 May 2004 Trust Taplin Nursery Southampton 
			 11 June 2004 Wellgate Neighbourhood Nursery Barking and Dagenham 
			 15 June 2004 Birkenhead North Sure Start Programme Birkenhead 
			  Wigan Sure Start Centre Wigan 
			 30 June 2004 Mill Hill Sure Start Centre Blackburn 
			  Audley and Queens Park Children's Centre Blackburn 
			 3 July 2004 Toddlers Play Park Great Massingham North West Norfolk 
			 8 July 2004 St. Matthews Sure Start Centre Leicester South 
			 16 July 2004 Headstart Nursery Barking and Dagenham 
			 3 September 2004 Playland Nursery Vicarage Field Barking and Dagenham 
			 7 September 2004 Nunsthorpe and Bradley Park Children's Centre Grimsby 
			  East Marsh Sure Start Children's Centre Grimsby 
			  First Steps with Sure Start Neighbourhood Nursery Grimsby 
			 27 September 2004 Hollingdean Sure Start Centre Brighton and Hove 
			 9 September 2004 Rosehill Sure Start Centre Derby 
			 27 October 2004 Sunshine Corner Neighbourhood Nursery Aylesham and Canterbury 
			 3 November 2004 Lewisham Children Centre Programme Lewisham 
			 4 November 2004 Newham Early Start Centre Newham 
			 9 November 2004 Little Steps Neighbourhood Nursery Peterborough 
			 18 November 2004 Northcot Early Years Centre Reading 
			 9 December 2004 Derby Rosehill Sure Start Centre Derby 
			 14 December 2004 Shrewsbury Sure Start Centre Shrewsbury 
			 10 January 2005 Kate Greenaway Nursery School Islington 
			 11 January 2005 Roehampton Neighbourhood Nursery Roehampton 
			  Battersea Sure Start Centre Battersea 
			 13 January 2005 Grove Street Community Play Group Wirral South 
			 21 January 2005 Waltham Forest Early Intervention Centre Waltham Forest 
			 28 January 2005 Baby Cafe Wellgate Nursery Barking and Dagenham 
			 1 February 2005 Sockingfold Early Years Centre and Nursery Nuneaton 
			 4 February 2005 Seagulls Neighbourhood Nursery Barking and Dagenham 
			 1 March 2005 Temple Hill Sure Start Centre Dartford 
			  All Saints Sure Start, Magpie Hill Road Chatham and Aylesford 
			  Sheerness Sure Start Centre Sittingbourne and Sheppey 
			 8 March 2005 Castlecombe Primary School Nursery Bromley and Chislehurst 
			 1 March 2005 Dartford Sure Start Local Programme Dartford 
			  Charham/Alsford Sure Start Local Programme Dartford 
			 9 March 2005 Kingsbrook Children's Centre Bedford and Luton 
			 7 March2005 Bromley by Bow Children's Centre Bethnal Green and Bow 
			 11 March 2005 Rowley Regis Sure Start Local Programme Halesowen and Rowley Regis 
			 15 March 2005 Priestley College Early Learning Centre Warrington South 
			 8 April 2005 Abbey Children's Centre Barking and Dagenham

Teacher Development

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will extend the provision of services for teachers' professional development in science, mathematics, English and social sciences.

Jacqui Smith: The Training and Development Agency for Schools is responsible for monitoring the quality and coverage of continuing professional development for teachers in all curriculum subjects including social sciences. Their five year strategy sets out proposals for a challenging new CPD agenda.
	Alongside this the DfES has:
	Announced plans for personalised learning, as part of the recent Schools White Paper, 'Higher Standards, Better Schools For All', to ensure every child masters the basics of English and mathematics. This includes a programme of training so that every school will have access to leading teachers who are expert in catch-up in these subjects.
	Launched the Science Learning Centres, a national network for professional development in the teaching of science, in partnership with The Wellcome Trust. The centres offer training focused on encouraging innovative and exciting teaching practice that will enthuse and inspire young people.
	Announced the launch of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. Its aim is to improve mathematics education across all sectors by providing enhanced CPD for all teachers of mathematics. The National Centre is due to open in summer 2006.

Teachers' Pay

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she plans to issue to local education authorities concerning variations of pay agreements under the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, with regard to the non-provision of childcare tax vouchers as a non-cash benefit; whether her Department plans to review this policy; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Children, Young People and Families on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2337W, on the Childcare Vouchers Scheme,. We have since conducted an informal consultation with representatives of teacher unions and employers on making provision in the statutory School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document to enable teachers to access tax-beneficial schemes, including childcare vouchers, on a salary sacrifice basis, and are currently considering the issues arising.

Teachers' Pay

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the (a) average pay and (b) average yearly percentage change in pay of (i) a classroom teacher on starting salary, (ii) a classroom teacher with seven years' experience, (iii) a deputy head teacher and (iv) a head teacher in each of the last 25 years at current prices.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the average salary of teachers by grade for the years 1997 to 2003 has been published annually since 1998 in the Statistics of Education, School Workforce in England, (including teachers' pay for England and Wales). Copies of these have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

University (Shrewsbury)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to secure a university for Shrewsbury.

Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) commissioned the consultants SQW Ltd. to carry out an option appraisal to look at provision of higher education in Herefordshire, Powys and Shropshire and published a report in May 2005. The study undertook a comprehensive review of the actual and potential demand for higher education in the three counties and provided an appraisal of the options for meeting that demand.
	As a result, HEFCE are currently working with the higher and further education institutions in the area to develop a Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) which will cover Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin which will seek to enhance existing structures and provision and create new arrangements to facilitate the progression of vocational learners into and through higher education. The LLN will undertake a fundamental role in linking the demand for learning and up-skilling with the appropriate supply of provision, through courses, qualifications and awards, at a variety of levels.

University Staff Salaries

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the Government will ensure that part of the additional higher education funding is received by university staff in the form of increased salaries.

Bill Rammell: The allocation of funding within higher education institutions, including the additional income from variable fees, is not a matter for Government. Universities are autonomous and responsible for determining their own academic and administrative affairs, including deciding what to pay their own staff. Pay and conditions of service are subject to negotiations between employers, their staff and their representative trade union bodies. The Government plays no part in this.

University Staff Salaries

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the Government will set aside specific funds to increase the pay of university staff.

Bill Rammell: Government funding for teaching in English higher education (HE) is allocated via the Higher Education Funding Council for England on a formula basis. Higher education institutions receive this and their funding for research as block grant. It is a matter for institutions, as autonomous bodies, to determine how they use the resources available to them, including determining pay levels for their staff. Pay and conditions of service are subject to negotiations between the HE employers, their staff and their representative trade union bodies. The Government plays no part in this.

University Staff Salaries

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to improve the recruitment and retention of university staff.

Bill Rammell: The responsibility for recruiting and retaining staff lies with higher education institutions (HEIs), as the employers. However, we have instituted a number of measures to support higher education institutions in this area. Through the Rewarding and Developing Staff initiative (RDS), we have supported HEIs in developing their human resource capability including recruitment and retention as a priority area. A recent evaluation carried out for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) by KPMG identified that about 66 million (of the total 370 million RDS funding 200102 to 200304) had been spent on recruitment and retention. The Department has also implemented, through HEFCE, a 'Golden Hello' programme of funding to encourage new entrants into teaching shortage subjects.
	We have also asked HEFCE to report to the Department annually on workforce trends, including sector staffing capacity. HEFCE's 2005 report is available at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/lgm/workforce/.

Upskilling

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on upskilling staff through the Learning Academy; how many staff have been upskilled; what proportion of these are (a) cleaners and (b) other non-front-line personnel; and how much is allocated to upskilling in 200506.

Maria Eagle: In the Department, since April 2005, 2,981 people have participated in development provided through the Learning Academy.
	The Department outsources most non-front-line services. This means most development for non-front-line staff is undertaken by the contractor organisations to whom we outsource our services, and not by the Learning Academy. The Department's Commercial Services Division supplements development provided by contractor organisations with additional information and development on Department procedures.
	The Learning Academy does not hold central records on development provided by contractor organisations or Commercial Services Division.
	The Learning Academy has allocated 4,000,000 for learning and development in 200506.

William Gibson

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the individuals and organisations consulted in helping her reach a decision on William Gibson's List 99 determination.

Ruth Kelly: Representatives from the following organisations were consulted in reaching a decision:
	Borough of Sunderland
	Durham Constabulary
	National Identification Service, New Scotland Yard
	St Joseph's school, Hebburn
	Celsian Supply Agency
	First Class Supply Agency
	STC Consortium Ltd
	National Probation Service
	A consultant Forensic Psychiatrist
	The Department does not release the names of individuals who supply information or evidence.